border to re-open along five crossings to pedestrians<br /> border open for 15hrs per day<br /> full re-opening under discussion<br /><br /> Venezuela and Colombia have agreed to partially re-open their border. It comes a year after Venezuela sealed it off in what President Maduro said was a crackdown on smugglers and concerns over security. <br /><br /> The partial reopening will allow pedestrians to cross at five points along the border for fifteen hours a day (5am to 8pm) starting Saturday.<br /><br /> Apertura de frontera #Colombia – #Venezuela será de manera gradual y en 5 puntos. Dicha apertura tendrá un horario entre las 5 a.m. y 8 p.m.— Mindefensa Colombia (@mindefensa) August 12, 2016<br /><br /> The Colombian president said that negotiations would continue to allow a full reopening of the border, a sign of warming relations.<br /><br /> The U-turn comes as Venezuela is experiencing severe shortages of basic foodstuffs and medicines, amid a crippling economic crisis caused by the crash in global oil prices. Opponents are seeking a recall referendum that could oust Maduro, claiming his socialist government is to blame for the mess. He puts it down to the fall in oil prices.<br /><br /> Last year the border closure sparked a major diplomatic row. President Maduro accused Colombian paramilitaries, smugglers and right-wing foes of causing shortages in his country, in an attempt to sabotage his leftist government. The porous 2,219-kilometre (1,379-mile) border shared by the two countries is frequently crossed by smugglers moving price-fixed goods from Venezuela to Colombia for profit, as well as illegal armed groups.<br />
