Venezuelan soldiers have killed civilians, say refugees fleeing to Colombia

ARAUQUITA MUNICIPALITY, Colombia (Reuters) – Venezuelans fleeing Colombia to escape conflicts between the Venezuelan military and irregular armed groups have accused soldiers of abuse, including killing civilians.

The influx of refugees, estimated at 4,000 by an official from the Arauquita municipality of Colombia, began on Sunday after the Bolivarian National Armed Forces of Venezuela (FANB) launched an offensive against illegal armed groups in La Victoria, a Venezuelan city across the Arauca River in Arauquita.

Venezuela has said it is investigating allegations that members of its military have abused them, including detaining and killing civilians, as well as robbing and burning houses.

“They stormed our house and took everything from us. When they arrived they broke everything, the doors; they came in and took everything I had in the house, in the workshop, “mechanic Jose Castillo, who arrived in Colombia with his pregnant wife and 12-year-old daughter, told Reuters.

“I could not stay because I kill people. They killed some neighbors and dressed them in Venezuelan army uniforms to send them as guerrillas, “Castillo said.

Reuters could not independently verify the allegations of Castillo or other displaced Venezuelans who showed photos on mobile phones of dead people wearing camouflage uniforms with weapons near their hands.

Dissidents of the Colombian Demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC), which rejects a 2016 peace deal with the Colombian government, are the targets of military operations, according to fleeing civilians.

But the victims were residents of La Victoria and its surroundings, they said.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez told a news conference that two Venezuelan soldiers had been killed in clashes with six illegal fighters he called terrorists.

Another 39 people were captured, he added in a statement.

“We must expel any group from any ideology, from any foreign nationality,” Padrino said. “We are obliged to expel them, whatever they may be called.”

The accusations against the Venezuelan army do not reflect its ethics, Padrino said.

Venezuelan armed forces are forced to defend the country from irregular groups, he said, adding that human rights will be respected and events will be investigated.

In a separate statement, Venezuela’s defense ministry accused the Colombian government and the US Central Intelligence Agency of supporting foreign fighters.

The Colombian government and the CIA were not immediately available for comment.

Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, Tarek Saab, wrote in a series of messages on Twitter that Venezuela is investigating events in La Victoria to see if their rights have been violated.

Colombian President Ivan Duque has accused the government of his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro of harassing FARC dissidents and members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), which the Caracas government has denied.