Many shops closed after rush to buy essentials, as exiles held muted celebrations amid uncertainty about future

While everything appears calm in Venezuela, its residents and many of its neighbouring countries are all waiting to see what happens next.

Already home to three million Venezuelan refugees, Colombia is worried that over a million more could try to cross over.

CÚCUTA, Colombia, Jan 9, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Media rights group Reporters Without Borders welcomed on Thursday Venezuela's release of political prisoners but urged authorities to also free jailed journalists and admit foreign correspondents waiting to enter the country.

Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners, including some foreigners, in what a senior member of the country’s ruling regime described as an international olive branch in the wake of the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on the weekend.

At a crucial moment for the world to understand what is happening in Venezuela and the consequences of the U.S. intervention, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the authorities to allow foreign journalists to enter the country and to stop restricting the work of local media.

The Colombian border city of Cúcuta, a kind of gateway for Venezuelan migration, is experiencing days of tension following the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

NPR international correspondent, on racing to the Venezuela border after the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro, and the obstacles keeping journalists from getting into the country.

Colombian troops were seen guarding major crossings along the Colombia–Venezuela border in Cúcuta after Preident Trump confirmed US military action led to the capture of Venezuelan leader

Venezuelans leaving their country gather before walking through the border crossing in Cucuta, Colombia, on January 3, 2026, after US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a "large scale strike" on the South American country. SCHNEYDER MENDOZA AFP via Getty Images