Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez sent ten battalions of 600 soldiers each to the border with Colombia and put his air force on alert after the Colombian military crossed the Ecuadorian border on March 1 and killed 18 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Among those killed was Raúl Reyes, who was second-in-command and top negotiator for the FARC. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa also fortified his border with Colombia after the incident. Both Ecuador and Venezuela withdrew their ambassadors from Colombia on March 2.

Chávez is in the midst of negotiations with the FARC to release hostages, several of whom have already been freed. He warned that a Colombian operation against the FARC inside Venezuela would be a “causus belli,” or cause for war, and charged the Colombian government is acting at the behest of the U.S. He called Colombian President Álvaro Uribe a "criminal" and Colombia a "terrorist state."

Democracy Now: With U.S. Assistance, Colombian Troops Attack and Kill 20 FARC Rebels Inside Ecuador | Build-up of troops on Colombia's borders sparks fears of war | Colombia raid angers Chavez | Colombia Kills FARC Negotiator | Ecuador & Venezuela order troops to Colombia border | Colombia accuses Ecuador's Correa of FARC ties | en español: Indymedia Ecuador | Indymedia Colombia