The Maduro regime encourages international terrorist groups to run free in Venezuela, according to a U.S. Department of State report.
By Diálogo – Digital Military Magazine – Noelani Kirschner
“Maduro and his associates use criminal activities to help maintain their illegitimate hold on power, fostering a permissive environment for known terrorist groups,” the report says, “including dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-D), the Colombian-origin National Liberation Army (ELN), and Hezbollah sympathizers.”
According to the report, Maduro regime encourages international terrorist groups both profit from and run parts of the illegal international drug trade from Venezuela. ELN oversees illegal mining operations and derives money from kidnapping civilians for ransom.
While neighboring Colombia has tried to stop the groups’ influence in South America, Maduro allows it. The regime did not update its counterterrorism legislation in 2019 to reflect the growing presence of either terrorist organization in Venezuela, nor has it made any efforts to prosecute the groups.
Further, “Nicolás Maduro has openly welcomed former FARC leaders who announced a return to terrorist activities,” the report says.
On July 28, 2019, during the São Paulo Forum in Caracas, Maduro said Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich — former FARC leaders — were welcome in the country. A month later, both Márquez and Santrich appeared in a video, rallying former FARC members to return to arms against the Colombian government, the report says.
The Venezuelan National Assembly immediately denounced these actions and continues to criticize Maduro’s open-arms policy toward FARC-D and ELN. In October 2019, it designated Hezbollah, ISIS, and ELN as terrorist organizations, the report says.
According to the National Assembly, Maduro gives ELN control in border states, like Táchira, where the group loots towns and threatens violence.
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Read More: Diálogo – Digital Military Magazine – Maduro Welcomes Terrorist Groups to Venezuela, Says Report
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