The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced this Sunday that he amounted to the general of division in “active reserve” to the ambassador of his country to Colombia, Carlos Martínez.
“I have decided and proceed to ascend to the general of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) in an active reserve situation,” Maduro said in a dialogue with Martínez, who appears dressed in a military uniform, according to a video he published in his Telegram account.
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The president announced his decision after a planning day of what he called as “Binational Operation of Sovereignty, Peace and Absolute Security”, in which they participated, in accordance with the disseminated images, the Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez; the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino; and the head of the interior, Diosdado Cabello, among other officials.
Maduro indicated that the offensive, of which he did not offer details, will be activated in a “new reinforcement phase” in the Zulia, Apure, Táchira and Amazonas states, border with Colombia.
He also added that the aforementioned operation has “the greatest coordination”, with the “military and police” Colombian.
Martínez’s rise is in the midst of the tension between Venezuela and the US due to the maneuvers raised by that country in the Caribbean waters to combat drug trafficking, and during the second day of a day of enlistment of militiamen convened by Maduro before what he considers as “threats.”
On Thursday, the Director of the United States Drug Control Administration (DEA), Terry Cole, accused Caracas of collaborating with Colombian guerrillas such as the National Liberation Army (ELN) to send “record amounts of cocaine” to Mexican posters that traffic towards the US.
Two days before, the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said Washington is prepared to “use all her power” with the aim of curbing the “drug flow to her country”, which would include the shipment of ships and soldiers to waters near Venezuela.
This Sunday, the FANB Operational Strategic Commander, Domingo Hernández Lárez, said that in 2025 they have destroyed “more than ten camps” linked to “Tancol” groups, an acronym created by the Venezuelan government to refer to “Colombian drug traffickers armed terrorists”.
