Tensions continue in South America. Large-scale military exercises and a regional defense pact see rumors of war circling Colombia and Venezuela. On Monday, reports the Associated Press, the U.S. and its regional allies will meet to discuss further sanctions on Venezuela.
Compassion International partners with churches in a town called Cúcuta, located along the main border between Colombia and Venezuela. Amid the chaos and concern, Compassion’s Carlos Alvarez says believers recognize God as their only source of hope.
“On the field, families keep praying and keep hoping that the situation will probably ease down a little bit, and that they don’t get in the midst of these governmental disputes,” he says.
What’s going on in Colombia and Venezuela?
MNN spoke with Alvarez about the ongoing crisis roughly six months ago. “We’ve been partnering with local churches, frontline churches, for the last eight years. We have learned how the situation has worsened over the last two years as people are coming in from Venezuela,” he told us then.
Things haven’t improved; each sunrise brings dozens of new Venezuelan families across the border.
Many Venezuelan migrations are “circular,” meaning people will cross into Colombia as needed but then return back to their home country after a period of time. According to the most recent Situation Report, there were between 25,000 and 40,000 such crossings per week in July. The same report recorded 1.4 million “stationary” Venezuelans inside Colombian territory, though that number has likely increased.
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SOURCE: Mission Network News, Katey Hearth
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