Colombia has named the official who will represent the country at Nicolás Maduro’s third-term inauguration. According to a statement by President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s current Ambassador to Venezuela, Milton Rengifo, will attend the ceremony in Caracas on Friday, January 10. Notably, no Latin American heads of state are expected to participate. President Petro confirmed that he would not attend the inauguration of his political ally, citing that the July 28 election was “not free, as there are no free elections under blockades.”
Colombia’s leftist leader further explained his absence, referencing the arrest of Carlos Correa, director of the press freedom NGO Espacio Público: “It prevents me from attending Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration ceremony in person.” However, he affirmed that “Colombia will not break diplomatic relations with Venezuela, nor intervene in the internal affairs of that country.”
Despite widespread criticism from various political sectors over Ambassador Rengifo’s attendance in Caracas, Petro addressed the issue by contrasting his approach with that of his predecessor, Iván Duque. “Closing borders, avoiding diplomatic relations, and forcibly separating our peoples is extremely brutal. It leads to borders being controlled by mafias and causes hunger and exodus among millions of Colombian and Venezuelan human beings,” Petro remarked.
Former President Duque quickly rebuked Petro’s statement, posting on his “X” account: “Brutality is having been Chávez’s flatterer, Maduro’s errand boy, the validator of the dictatorship, and the slave of the secrets kept by the oppressive regime.” Duque further highlighted that Hugo Chávez closed the border “when his umbilical relationship with FARC was exposed,” resulting in the collapse of bilateral trade. He added, “In 2015, Maduro expelled Colombians by marking their houses; in 2017, Colombia stopped having an ambassador in Caracas, and in 2019, Maduro closed the border and expelled consular staff.”
While the Petro-Duque exchange unfolds, Colombia is bolstering its security along the border in preparation for Maduro’s sham inauguration. The departments of Arauca, Norte de Santander, and La Guajira – areas known for the presence of FARC dissidents and ELN guerrillas – have been placed under heightened surveillance to mitigate potential threats or disturbances.
Although state intelligence agencies have not identified specific risks to public order, local officials have called for vigilance to prevent violence from spilling over the porous border. Colombia’s Armed Forces have deployed 3,700 troops to secure border corridors often exploited by armed groups for smuggling cocaine, firearms, contraband, and hostages.
In Norte de Santander, a unified command post has been activated by the Governor’s Office in coordination with Migración Colombia, the Attorney General’s Office, the Ombudsman’s Office, and the Inspector General’s Office to monitor developments during the inauguration. Meanwhile, in La Guajira, security forces have been reinforced with additional police and soldiers, and local authorities in Maicao have imposed a temporary ban on alcohol sales from Thursday to Saturday to maintain public order.
On Thursday, tens of thousands of Venezuelans are expected to protest Maduro’s regime in cities worldwide, including Bogotá, where demonstrators will gather in Plaza de Bolívar. Similar protests are planned in Madrid, Washington, Miami, Toronto, London, Rome, and Mexico City. Opposition leader María Corina Machado has referred to these demonstrations as the “historic moment” for Venezuela.
President-elect Edmundo González, who won the popular vote with a 70% landslide majority, is expected to arrive in Caracas just hours before Maduro’s scheduled inauguration. Maduro’s regime has issued a $100,000 reward for González’s arrest. The opposition leader will be accompanied by nine former Latin American presidents, including Colombia’s Andrés Pastrana.
Pastrana, a vocal critic of Petro’s stance on Venezuela, criticized Colombia’s participation in Maduro’s inauguration: “Petro, are you scared? By legitimizing Maduro, Colombia endorses the theft of elections and the establishment of a dictatorship in the neighboring country. Is this the path you want for Colombia? Democracy is defended not only with words but with actions.”
Venezuela’s Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, has responded by releasing a “Wanted” poster featuring Pastrana’s face, threatening his arrest if he enters the country. Speaking on the state broadcaster Venezolana de Televisión, Cabello announced that Venezuela’s security forces have orders to arrest the nine former presidents accompanying González. These include Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay), Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón (Mexico), Mireya Moscoso and Ernesto Pérez Balladares (Panama), Jamil Mahuad (Ecuador), and Pastrana. Cabello claimed the group is “wanted for conspiracy and complicity in terrorist acts.”
Former President Iván Duque is rumored to be organizing his own trip to Caracas, potentially resulting in two former Colombian heads-of-state accompanying González despite the recurring threats of the Maduro dictorship.
