Colombia moved swiftly to reinforce its eastern border after the United States removed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a development that has unsettled regional security calculations and raised concerns of spillover violence and migration.
President Gustavo Petro said the government condemned the U.S. strikes and convened an emergency security meeting early Saturday to assess risks along the 2,219-kilometre frontier shared with Venezuela.
Authorities said the border region, long affected by armed groups and trafficking networks, could face renewed instability as power dynamics shift across the boundary.
Colombia has prepared both security and humanitarian responses as uncertainty deepens over Venezuela’s political and security trajectory.
The Colombian government announced the deployment of armed forces and state agencies to secure border areas historically dominated by insurgent activity and illicit trade.
Petro said Colombia rejected what it described as an attack on Venezuelan sovereignty and Latin America, while emphasizing the need to protect Colombian territory and civilians.
Security analysts warned that the National Liberation Army, or ELN, poses the most immediate threat, given its control of large stretches of the border and its operations on both sides.
The group has portrayed itself as a defender against foreign intervention and has previously escalated attacks in response to U.S. pressure in the region.
Colombia’s Defence Ministry said all security capabilities had been activated to protect embassies, infrastructure, and military and police units, and to prevent retaliatory actions.
Analysts noted that disruption to ELN networks linked to Venezuela could provoke responses aimed at Western or state targets inside Colombia.
Beyond security risks, Colombian officials and aid groups warned of a potential surge in Venezuelans fleeing instability.
Petro said humanitarian resources had been deployed to prepare for a possible mass influx of refugees along the eastern border.
Colombia already hosts nearly three million Venezuelans, more than any other country, following years of economic and political crisis across the border.
Previous migration waves required extensive humanitarian operations, and officials cautioned that current conditions could complicate any large-scale response.
Funding constraints have heightened concern, after significant reductions in international assistance in recent years.
Regional and international reactions to Maduro’s removal were mixed, with some governments condemning the U.S. action as a violation of international law and others welcoming the change.
For Colombia, the episode underscores the fragile balance between rejecting intervention abroad and managing its immediate domestic consequences.