Venezuela Reopens Maritime Border With Dutch Antilles

On 19 February, the Latin American country's regional military chief announced the closure of the Venezuelan maritime border with the Dutch Caribbean.

Venezuela's government has reopened its national maritime border with the Dutch Antilles islands following its closure on Tuesday, the Reuters news agency reports, citing a regional military commander.

This comes after Venezuela's regional military chief said on Tuesday that he had ordered the closure of the Venezuelan maritime border with the Dutch Antilles islands. The move was made amid Dutch plans to open a logistical hub for humanitarian aid on the island of Curacao, however, the exact reasons behind Caracas' decision to close the border remain unclear.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro refused to accept US aid that is currently waiting in Colombia, blasting it as a ploy to topple his government.
Venezuela is in the midst of a political crisis, which escalated in late January when Venezuelan opposition parliamentary speaker Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, disputing last year's re-election of Maduro.

Guaido was recognised by the United States and a number of other countries. At the same time, Russia, China, Mexico, Turkey and Uruguay were among those that voiced their support for Maduro as the country's legitimately elected president.