Could Colombia and Venezuela be headed towards war? A lot of Colombians think so

September 17^th, 2015 (ICR News) Nearly half of Colombians fear a diplomatic dispute that began last month when Venezuela closed several border crossings and deported thousands of Colombians, could lead to war, according to Reuters and a survey released on Tuesday.

Forty-three percent of people in a Cifras y Conceptos poll published by Caracol Radio and Red + Noticias said they fear the crisis could lead to military conflict between the two countries.

The border crisis erupted when Venezuela ordered the closure of part of the frontier with Colombia on Aug. 19 after suspected smugglers allegedly shot at Venezuelan troops.
Since the outset of the border crisis, at least 1,482 Colombians have been expelled from Venezuela – many forced from their homes with only the belongings they could carry on their back – and some 20,000 more have left the neighboring country for fear of being deported, according to a report by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and bilateral tensions have been rising between the two governments.

Tensions escalated further in recent days with two alleged violations of Colombian air space by Venezuelan military aircraft.

Socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has blamed many of recession-hit Venezuela’s problems on Colombians.

Maduro’s political opponents say he is using Colombians as scapegoats to distract from Venezuela’s economic crisis.

EFE contributed to this report.  Some information comes from Reuters.