The current conflict between the ELN and FARC dissidents in Catatumbo is not an isolated event. It is the result of 25 years of well-documented complicity between these guerrilla groups and Chavismo. Under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, they exploited illicit activities such as drug trafficking, gold mining, and coltan extraction key regions of Venezuela, including the states of Apure, Táchira, and Zulia, as well as Cerro Yapacana and Autana in Amazonas, Caura, and the Orinoco Mining Arc in Bolivar.
Reports from SOSOrinoco reveal that illegal mineral extraction south of the Orinoco River operates through a corrupt and opaque partnership between the Venezuelan Armed Forces, local armed groups, the ELN, and FARC dissidents. In Yapacana National Park, this criminal coalition has managed operations that have devastated the environment and exacerbated local conflict
The initial alliance with Chavismo was built on mutual interests: providing safe haven for guerrillas in exchange for revenues from illicit activities. After the FARC peace agreements were signed, Maduro expanded this model, turning the Mining Arc and many other Protected Areas in Amazonas and Bolívar states into centers of plunder, human rights violations, and conflicts between the ELN and FARC dissidents. The groups compete to control mines, extort workers, and traffic minerals, generate millions of dollars to fund their firepower and operation
These dynamics have devastated local and indigenous communities, causing displacements, loss of ancestral lands, and irreversible environmental damage, as the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has extensively documented.
The government of Gustavo Petro and all of Colombian society face a crisis with a clear external accomplice: Chavismo. Quickly criminalized, Chavismo has long dreamed of destabilizing Colombia. With Petro’s election victory, they believed they could achieve this through an “anti-system cooperation” between Caracas and Bogotá. For many, Petro’s erratic stance following Venezuela’s fraudulent July 28 election was surprising, but for Maduro, it was a betrayal he intends to repay in kind. Hopefully, all of Colombia—especially its government—understands that a peaceful and prosperous Colombia cannot exist with Maduro and Chavismo as neighbors!
The time has come to connect the dots and stand united on both sides of this tense border to defend the values and principles that once made us brothers.