Colombia deports Venezuelan soldier suspected of spying

Text by: RFI Follow

Authorities believe Gerardo Rojas Castillo posed as a deserter to spy on the Colombian army. He spent more than a year on Colombian territory. Enough to strain the already very bad relations between Colombia and Venezuela.

Publicity

With our correspondent at Caracas , Benjamin Delille

The Colombian army announced the arrest on June 10 of Gerardo Rojas Castillo. The Venezuelan soldier was arrested near Valledupar, a city in northern Colombia and close to the Venezuelan border.

During his arrest, Castillo admitted that he was still a member of the Bolivarian National Force and even presented documents attesting that he is still a chief sergeant active in this body of the Venezuelan army.

However, it was as a deserter that he entered Colombia in February 2019, like a thousand other soldiers. They all decided to join Juan Guaidó in his failed attempt to bring American humanitarian aid into Venezuela. Castillo, on the other hand, is said to have disguised himself as a itinerant fruit seller in order to spy on a military base in Valledupar. Quickly put under surveillance, he then worked as a vigil for a private company to observe "  the external movements  " of this base, according to the Colombian army.

His arrest should not help bring Colombia and Venezuela closer together. Their diplomatic relations have been severed since February 2019 and Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan president, continues to accuse his neighbor of working to overthrow him.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Colombia
• Venezuela
• Information

On the same subject

Interview

Why is the United States deploying special forces in Colombia?