Venezuela Halts Flights from Colombia Following Arrest of Alleged Mercenaries

Venezuela has suspended all flights from neighboring Colombia following the detention of over 30 individuals accused of plotting to destabilize the country ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for Sunday. The announcement was made by Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on state television, describing the flight ban as “immediate” and set to last for one week. The arrests coincided with the release of a report by an independent panel of experts detailing significant human rights violations in Venezuela following the contentious July 28, 2024, presidential election.

According to Cabello, the detained group comprised 21 Venezuelans and 17 foreigners, including citizens from Colombia, Mexico, and Ukraine. He claimed these individuals had planned attacks involving explosives at key locations such as embassies, hospitals, and police stations. Some detainees arrived by plane from Colombia, while others crossed over land, having originally traveled from unspecified countries. Without presenting evidence, Cabello accused the group of including experts in explosives, human traffickers, and mercenaries, alleging collaboration with members of Venezuela’s political opposition. He asserted that their objective was to portray Venezuela as incapable of conducting free and fair elections.

In response, Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it had not received any official communication from Venezuela regarding the detention of Colombian nationals. Colombia’s civil aviation authority confirmed the suspension of commercial flights between the two countries, while Venezuela’s aviation authority announced the ban would remain in effect until 6 pm local time on Monday, May 26.

The political context is critical. President Nicolás Maduro, who secured a controversial third term in the July 2024 election widely condemned internationally as fraudulent, frequently claims that his government is the target of coup attempts supported by the United States and Colombia. Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who went into hiding after the last presidential election, recently pledged a boycott of the parliamentary vote, intending to leave polling stations empty. The opposition insists that their candidate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, was the true victor in the July election but was forced into exile in Spain due to government crackdowns on dissent.

The independent expert panel, backed by the Organization of American States (OAS), reported that Venezuela is experiencing “the most severe and sophisticated phase of political repression” in its modern history. This repression includes the execution of unarmed protesters, forced disappearances, and a rise in arbitrary detentions. The government has extended its repression beyond political opponents and human rights defenders to include election workers, witnesses, family members of opposition figures, minors, and others. The aftermath of the 2023 election also saw Venezuela sever diplomatic ties and suspend flights with multiple countries, while some airlines halted operations over unpaid debts.

The resumption of flights between Venezuela and Colombia in November 2022 had marked a thaw in relations, following the election of Colombia’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro. Petro restored diplomatic ties that were severed in 2019 when former Colombian President Iván Duque refused to recognize Maduro’s 2018 re-election. Despite this rapprochement, the current events underscore ongoing tensions and instability in the region as Venezuela heads toward a crucial parliamentary election amid heightened political repression and international scrutiny.