The governments of Colombia and Venezuela said on Thursday, November 12, that they are willing to coordinate security efforts to combat transnational crime following two recent high-profile kidnappings along their 2,219-kilometre shared border, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
Colombia is seeking Venezuelan help to locate Nancy Gomez, the wife of the mayor of Uribia, in the northern department of La Guajira, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Venezuelan border. Colombian authorities believe she was kidnapped on November 11 and taken into Venezuela in an attempt to evade Colombian law enforcement, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
Colombia's Foreign Ministry spoke with Venezuela's government "to coordinate efforts to rescue" Gomez, Reuters reported. Venezuela's government said it is "fully willing to carry out all necessary coordination" with Colombian authorities on security matters, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella deployed military troops to the area to aid the search for Gomez, and said the ELN armed group was believed to be behind her kidnapping. The ELN is the National Liberation Army, a Colombian armed group.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
The second kidnapping: an army officer in Saravena
On November 4, a Colombian army officer was kidnapped by the ELN in the town of Saravena, in the border state of Arauca, Colombian authorities said. Colombia's Defence Minister Jorge Eduardo Mora said on Wednesday that Colombia had asked the United States to work with Venezuela to help find the kidnapped officer, Reuters reported.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
The two governments have long had a difficult relationship, and the border has been a route for armed groups, smuggling and people fleeing violence. The willingness of both sides to coordinate on the two kidnappings is therefore a notable shift in tone, even though no joint operation or rescue has been announced so far.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
Neither government has said where Gomez or the army officer are being held, whether any ransom demand has been made, or whether the ELN has claimed responsibility for either kidnapping. The ELN link in Gomez's case is, for now, the Colombian president's statement of belief — not a confirmed claim.
For now, the search continues on the Colombian side, with troops deployed around Uribia, while the two foreign ministries stay in contact over the rescue effort. Any confirmed rescue or release would be a major new development in a border story that has produced repeated crises for both countries.
Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026
Venezuela has been in the headlines on a separate security front this month, after a reported ELN camp bombing in Apure state. Read the earlier story: Venezuela ELN camp bombing in Apure