Venezuela Reopens Border With Brazil After 2 Years

Venezuela Reopens Border With Brazil After 2 Years
People stand at the border with Venezuela, seen from the Brazilian city of Pacaraima, Roraima state, Brazil, on Nov. 16, 2017. Nacho Doce/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

PUERTO ORDAZ—Venezuela reopened its land border with Brazil on Thursday, nearly two years after the regime of Nicolas Maduro shuttered crossings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local Venezuelan authorities said on Friday.

Maduro closed crossings in March 2020 amid a nationwide quarantine, allowing only cargo transport.

The closure stopped dozens of students from attending classes in Pacaraima, on the Brazilian side, and forced Venezuelans seeking scarce food and gasoline to use illegal crossings, local human rights activists say.