Security and military agents inspect the area of the explosion reported in the Villa del Rosario checkpoint near CĂşcuta, Colombia, on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Photo: Mario Caicedo/EFE.
The Villa del Rosario checkpoint in CĂşcuta, near the Colombian-Venezuelan border, has been completely destroyed after an explosive attack in the late night of Wednesday, February 19. The governor of Colombia’s Norte de Santander department, William Villamizar, and the mayor of CĂşcuta, Jorge Acevedo, declared a curfew between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and the suspension of classes in the entire metropolitan area, which includes CĂşcuta, Villa del Rosario, Zulia, and Los Patios.
The attack that occurred in the Colombian side of the border left several people injured and caused panic in the border area, as well as causing power outages in several areas near CĂşcuta, Norte de Santander.
Residents heard at least six explosions in the municipality, which connects Colombia to Venezuela via the SimĂłn BolĂvar and Antonio Girardot international bridges. After the incident, helicopters flew over the area to assess the situation.
The first attack occurred at a police station near the Historic Temple of CĂşcuta. Although no injuries were reported, the strong explosion at the checkpoint that connects CĂşcuta with the SimĂłn BolĂvar international bridge caused great alarm among local residents. Although preliminary reports suggest that it was a car bomb, the authorities have not yet confirmed the facts.
Videos recorded by witnesses clearly show the scale of the attack. In one of them, a man described the devastating impact and showed the rubble of the checkpoint next to a completely destroyed taxi. “This, my pals, they just blew it up; this is hot, it’s ugly,” he said, while showing the chaos in the area.
The violence broke out a day after several governors demanded that Colombian President Gustavo Petro take action in response to the worsening armed conflict in various regions of the country during a meeting with regional authorities.
Since early January, the Catatumbo region in Norte de Santander has been facing intense clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) dissident guerrilla groups, resulting in at least 63 deaths and over 50,000 displaced, many of whom have crossed to Venezuela looking for safety.
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Táchira governor Bernal
The governor of Táchira state in Venezuela, neighboring CĂşcuta, Freddy Bernal, made statements condemning the acts of violence that occurred in the border area on the Colombian side. “We are very concerned about the lamentable state of war in Norte de Santander,” he said.
On the Venezuelan side, Bernal said that security has been reinforced along the 164-kilometer border of Táchira state with Colombia, according to reports from Últimas Noticias.
“We regret that various armed groups are in conflict in Norte de Santander,” he stated. “We in Venezuela have always longed for peace. President Nicolás Maduro has always extended his hand to help in whatever way he can to achieve peace. This is a problem that is internal in Colombia.”
In Táchira state, specifically in the Venezuelan border area of ​​San Antonio, Ureña, and Boca de Grita, there is tranquility, harmony, and peace, “total security for merchants, students, businessmen for national and foreign investment,” he added.
(RedRadioVE) by Jhulimar Fraga with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
