Venezuelan Military Deserters Abandoned by Colombian Government

Fecha de publicación:

17 March 2019

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"Most of us do not have relatives in Colombia, we were the breadwinner of our families in Venezuela and now we are here with nothing," lamented the ex-military officer.

A group of Venezuelan military deserters that fled to Colombia on February 23, reported on Saturday that Colombian authorities have abandoned them, and had given them a period of 4 days to leave the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp where they were living near the border between Venezuela and Colombia.

They ask Venezuelan lawmaker Juan Guaido, who had unconstitutionally auto-proclaimed himself as "Interim president" of Venezuela, to help them.

"We are adrift; we do not have the support of anybody. We want Juan Guaido to come to talk to us face to face," said former Venezuelan Army's second ex-sergeant, Luis Gonzalez Hernandez, who acted as spokesperson for the group.

According to Gonzalez Hernandez, the evacuation from the shelter was demanded and prepared by the Colombian authorities in Villa del Rosario municipality, in the border city of Cucuta. In return, they were offered 350,000 Colombian pesos, a mattress, and a bedsheet for each one, he said.

@Mision_Verdad Atención a este testimonio: militares venezolanos que desertaron el 23 de febrero y huyeron a Colombia denuncian estar “a la deriva y a la espera del presidente Guaidó”. Afirman que Acnur les exige desalojar el campamento y moverse por sus propios medios:

"Attention to this testimony: Venezuelan military officers who deserted on Feb. 23 and fled to Colombia reported being "adrift and waiting for President Guaido." They claim that UNHCR requires them to leave the camp and move on their own."

"Most of us do not have relatives in Colombia, we were the breadwinner of our families in Venezuela and now we are here with nothing," lamented the ex-military officer.

In the weeks leading up to Feb. 23, the date fixed by the Venezuelan right-wing for the entering of the supposed "humanitarian aid" to Venezuela, lawmaker Juan Guaido and several U.S. government spokesmen urged members of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) to ignore their officers and defect to Colombia.

@pvillegas_tlSUR “ Deben irse. Salgan en 3 días. Hay 350 mil pesos y una colchoneta para cada uno”, esto es lo que les dicen hoy a los desertores militares venezolanos en Cúcuta. Ya no les sirven. El tiempo de su escena ha concluido. Baja el telón. @madeleintlSUR @PortellateleSUR

"You must go. Leave in 3 days. Here are 350 thousand pesos and a mat for each one," this is what they said today to the Venezuelan military deserters in Cucuta. They no longer have any use. The time of your scene is over. The curtain goes down."