Venezuelan opposition who fled to Colombia may leave after Petro's election

Venezuelan opposition figures who settled in Colombia after escaping socialist autocrat Nicolas Maduro say they will leave after it elected its first leftist president.

Colombia had become the unofficial headquarters for activists, journalists, former politicians and military deserters targeted by the Maduro regime.

Gustavo Petro, an ally of Maduro and former guerilla fighter, will replace an outspoken conservative opponent of the Venezuelan dictator as president next month.

“I feel very unsafe in Colombia right now,” Pablo Parada, 32, a former student leader and political prisoner, told Bloomberg.

“Maduro’s ties to the incoming president are no secret. We’re sure that Venezuela’s government will want members of the resistance and the military handed over. We’re a threat.”

A Maduro-friendly government is a drastic shift from before the election, when Venezuelan dissidents had direct “direct access to the highest levels of government, helping shape policy toward Venezuela” and Maduro, according to one expert.

Petro said in a recent newspaper interview that Venezuelan opposition activists would not be extradited back to Colombia under him but did not elaborate on broader plans.

Former Venezuelan National Assembly President Julio Borges, 52, is one of the more prominent opposition figures looking to leave before Petro takes office. Sources near Borges told Bloomberg that he fears renewed threats once Petro is president.

Those prominent enough to have international connections will likely seek asylum or jobs abroad in Miami, Washington or Madrid, according to Bloomberg.

But mid-level activists without them are faced with more desperate choices.

Parada, the former student leader, said plans to cross the Darien Gap, the dense jungle between Colombia and Panama, on foot.

“The most delicate situation is for the young people who don’t have the resources to leave Colombia,” said Anyelo Heredia, 38, a former Venezuelan army officer who escaped military prison. He also plans to cross the Darien Gap on foot.