Maduro had the day prior ordered the reopening of the Venezuelan border in the western state of Tachira, near the location in Colombia where the international community had massed humanitarian aid that Maduro’s government refused to take.
Early Saturday, thousands of people rushed to the border bridges between the two countries, and crowds in long queues stretched throughout the day.
At midday, 18,000 people had crossed the border from Venezuela, France24 reports.