Many Venezuelans Fleeing To Colombia Are Joining Rebel And Criminal Groups

Business Insider/Reuters: Criminals and rebels in Colombia are trying to get desperate Venezuelans to help them make cocaine and fight the government

* Tens of thousands of desperate Venezuelans have cross the border into Colombia, seeking relief from economic and political turmoil at home.
* Criminal organizations and rebel groups in Colombia apparently see the influx as a pool of potential recruits help them produce drugs and fight the government.

ARAUCA/CUCUTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Venezuela's crisis is spilling across the border into Colombia as Marxist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries recruit migrants to strengthen their ranks, according to five Colombian military commanders.

Violence still simmers in Colombia despite a 2016 peace deal with leftist FARC rebels, meant to end five decades of conflict. Dissident FARC fighters, the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN), right-wing paramilitaries and drug-trafficking gangs are battling each other and the military.

Keen for recruits, these armed groups are targeting Venezuelans as they traverse the porous 1,380-mile frontier at illegal border crossings, according to the military officials, human rights officials and migrants themselves.

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WNU Editor: When you are desperate you are willing to do almost anything.