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Cúcuta (Colombia) (AFP)

The head of the Organization of American States on Friday said "military intervention" to "overthrow" Nicolas Maduro's government must not be ruled out, as Venezuela suffers an economic and humanitarian crisis.

"With regards to a military intervention aimed at overthrowing the regime of Nicolas Maduro, I think we should not exclude any option," OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro told journalists in the Colombian city of Cucuta, near the border with Venezuela.

Almagro -- dubbed an "interventionist" by Maduro -- said Caracas was committing "crimes against humanity" against its people.

"Suffering of the people, in the induced exodus that it is driving, puts diplomatic actions in first place, but we should not rule out any action," he said.

The OAS leader on Friday ends a three-day visit to Colombia concerning the wave of migrants from oil-rich Venezuela fleeing there.

Venezuela is mired in a deep economic crisis that has triggered the departure of 2.3 million people since 2014, according to the United Nations. Colombia has received more than one million.

© 2018 AFP