Islam Times - Colombia: Deserting Venezuelan soldiers cross into Colombia as riots continue

Islam Times - Members of the Venezuelan National Guard have left their posts and crossed into Colombia to the applause and cheers of those protesting at the border in Cucuta on Saturday.

Footage shows thousands of protesters at the border, some throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, and a fire starting as night falls. A small group of Venezuelan National Guard soldiers, escorted by Colombian police, are seen walking past the protesters away from the border.

Violence broke out on Saturday during an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid into Venezuela, while Venezuelan forces blocked the border. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has stated that the aid is a US plot to disguise an intervention in Venezuela.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he will cut all diplomatic ties with neighboring Colombia amid tensions over US aid delivery.

Maduro described his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, as the devil. He also called on US President Donald Trump not to interfere in Venezuela’s internal affairs. Maduro was speaking at a rally of thousands of his supporters in the capital Caracas.