After years, private vehicles start crossing Colombia-Venezuela border again

Children play with their skateboards during the reopening of the Coronel Atanasio Girardot binational bridge after the normalization of diplomatic and economic relations between the governments of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, and Colombian president Gustavo Petro, in Urena, Venezuela January 1, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Pablo Bayona

URENA, Venezuela (Reuters) - Private vehicles started crossing between Colombia and Venezuela for the first time in years on Sunday, marking the total opening of the shared border, in addition to cargo and people that have been transiting.

The full opening of the common border follows years of tense relations between the two countries that have eased after Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist, took office in August last year.