Venezuela on Saturday partially reopened its border with Colombia, nearly four months after the crisis-ravaged South American nation blocked the frontier to ward off a feared foreign invasion.

President Nicolas Maduro ordered border traffic to restart, next to the Colombian city of Cucuta, which will allow thousands of Venezuelans to return to work and school, as well as shop, in Colombia.

The decision prompted long lines of people to wait on two pedestrian bridges that separate the two countries, eager to buy food and medicine.

Read more: Venezuela: Coup or uprising? It depends on who you support

Venezuela, a once-wealthy oil nation, is now mired in an economic and political crisis with severe shortages of essential supplies and hyperinflation expected to surpass 10 million percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Knee-jerk reaction

Maduro shut the border in February as an attempt by his arch-foe, opposition leader Juan Guaido, to oust him from power appeared imminent.

Guaido, the self-declared interim president, disputed the results of last year's presidential election, which returned Maduro for a second term.

Read more: Venezuela talks in Norway end without deal

Venezuela on the brink The last straw In March 2017, violent protests erupted across the country in response to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its powers. Amid an international outcry, President Nicolas Maduro reversed the decision, but it was too late. Thousands continued to take to the streets, calling for new elections. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces.

Venezuela on the brink Hunger, a growing problem The violence added to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans spend more than 30 hours a week waiting in lines to shop, and are often confronted with empty shelves when they finally enter a store. President Maduro blames the crisis on US price speculation. The opposition, however, accuses the Socialist government of economic mismanagement.

Venezuela on the brink Health care in crisis The crisis has even affected health care in the oil-rich nation. Venezuelans often head to Colombia to collect medical supplies to send home, as seen in this picture. Hospitals across Venezuela have compared conditions to those seen only in war zones. As patient deaths rise, health officials have sounded the alarm on the rise of malaria and dengue fever.

Venezuela on the brink Power grab By July 2017, Venezuela's pro-government Constituent Assembly was established. For observers, it had all the hallmarks of a power grab. The new body adopted the authority to pass legislation on a range of issues, effectively taking away the powers of Venezuela's elected congress, which was under the opposition's control. The move drew wide international condemnation.

Venezuela on the brink The West sanctions In response to the political crisis, the United States and European Union imposed a series of sanctions against ruling officials. The US blacklisted members of the Constituent Assembly and froze all of Maduro's assets that are subject to US jurisdiction. The EU banned arms sales to the country.

Venezuela on the brink Government victorious in regional elections In October 2017, Venezuela held two votes: regional elections and elections for governors, which were long overdue. The opposition boycotted the vote, but then split, as some candidates and small parties chose to participate. This caused a deep rift within Maduro's opponents. The government went on to sweep the vote, which detractors say was unfair and heavily favored the regime.

Venezuela on the brink Debt default In November 2017, the oil-rich, cash-poor nation faced its day of reckoning. Credit ratings agencies declared Venezuela and its state-run oil company in "selective default." But Russia offered to restructure the South American country's debt to ensure Caracas pays its other creditors. US and EU sanctions, however, limited the chance of an agreement.

Venezuela on the brink Presidential elections scheduled The National Assembly announced in January 2018 that it would grant Maduro's call for snap presidential elections. The electoral authority, CNE, held the elections on May 20. The EU, the US and 14 Latin American nations warned that they would not recognize the results. The mainstream MUD opposition alliance boycotted the vote, leaving only one possible outcome.

Venezuela on the brink Maduro wins ... Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term with about 68 percent of the vote. Turnout was only 46 percent, according to electoral authorities. However, the MUD opposition alliance put turnout at less than 30 percent. The Organization of American States (OAS) called the elections neither free nor fair.

Venezuela on the brink ... Guaido assumes power But weeks into the new year, the situation took a drastic turn. On January 23, 2019, parliament president Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela — a move that was quickly recognized by US President Donald Trump. Maduro called it a US-backed "coup." Days later, the US sanctioned Venezuela's state oil firm, while Guaido staked his claim on the country's foreign assets.



With the support of the United States, European Union and most of Venezuela's neighbors, Guaido promised to bring in much-needed international aid to help stave off economic ruin.

But Maduro responded by blocking all border crossings with neighbors, including Brazil and Colombia, fearing the aid was a pretext for a US military invasion.

While the border remained shut, many Venezuelans were forced to cross into Colombia illegally to get supplies because of the lack of basic necessities at home.

Maduro says Venezuela is the victim of an "economic war" waged by Washington, and US sanctions on oil exports have further fueled the chaos.

Read more: Nicolas Maduro tells military to 'be ready' for potential US military action

One million Venezuelans flee

The embattled president's announcement on Saturday came hours after the UN said that since November more than 1 million Venezuelans had left the country.

That brings the total number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees abroad to 4 million, up from 695,000 in late 2015.

Colombia is the leading destination, hosting 1.3 million Venezuelans, followed by Peru with 768,000, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Also on Saturday, UNHCR's special envoy Angelina Jolie was visiting another portion of the Colombia-Venezuela border to learn more about the conditions faced by migrants and refugees and raise awareness about their needs.

The Hollywood actress was due to meet with aid workers and Venezuelans and tour a tent village built by the UN in the region of La Guajira.

mm/rc (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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