Former Colombian president and far-right leader Álvaro Uribe Vélez met with Colombian and Venezuelan sympathisers in Cúcuta, bordering Venezuela, on January 11.
Álvaro Uribe publicly called for a foreign military invasion of Venezuelan territory after the far-right Venezuelan opposition failed to stop the swearing-in of Nicolás Maduro as president and Edmundo González Urrutia resigned to a parallel swearing-in in the Dominican Republic on January 10.
“What we want, what we advocate, is an international military intervention to end the dictatorship,” the former Colombian president told a roaring gathering. Uribe supported González Urrutia and María Corina Machado, calling them “the universal champions of democracy” in his speech.
Uribe also asked the Venezuelan Armed Forces to disown the Chavista administration “so that it fulfils its function under the Constitution and helps to dislodge the dictatorship”.
Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro, who has criticised the election, strongly criticised Uribe’s words. Petro dismissed Uribe’s claims and said an armed intervention would violate Venezuela’s autonomy: We want democratic debate and people’s respect in Colombia and Venezuela. We condemn the infringement of their fundamental rights in Colombia, Venezuela, and worldwide.”
Maduro counters Uribe.
At the end of the International Anti-Fascist World Festival in Caracas from January 9 to 11, Nicolás Maduro addressed Uribe’s border remarks: Álvaro Uribe Vélez, a killer and drug trafficker, is now demanding military involvement in Venezuela. Coward! You lead the troops. I await your arrival on the battlefield.Show your face, don’t send others to fight. Out with Uribe! Down with fascism!
Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia’s foreign minister, said he will write Caracas to complain about Maduro’s words. Murillo told Blu Radio that former leaders of state should be recognised regardless of politics. Interestingly, he won’t write to former president Uribe about his calls for a foreign military invasion of Venezuela.
Alba Movements called Uribe’s comments “criminal” for violating “fundamental principles of international law”. The organisation denounced other political leaders in a communiqué titled “We reject the call to war, we defend peace in Our America”: “We also condemn the support of Patricia Bullrich, current Minister of Security of Argentina in the government of Javier Milei, and Leopoldo López, Venezuelan opposition leader, for these declarations.
It is unacceptable for Latin American and Caribbean authorities and politicians to support warmongering comments that destabilise the area and threaten peace and stability. Resistance to foreign intrusions and coups d’état that destroyed our peoples has shaped our continent.”
