Nearly Half of Colombians Fear Venezuela War Over Border Crisis

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, a survey released on Tuesday showed. 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. Twenty percent said they were afraid more Colombians would be expelled from Venezuela. The South American neighbors could break diplomatic relations, 19 percent said, while 13 percent believe Venezuelans could leave their country for Colombia. The countries share a long and porous border plagued by drug trafficking, paramilitaries, left-wing guerrillas and smugglers. More…