VENEZUELAN President Nicolas Maduro has urged his country’s five million Colombian immigrants to form a “movement for peace.”

Mr Maduro spoke after his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos attacked Venezuela’s crackdown on paramilitaries who have infiltrated the country, funded by Colombia’s ruling class.

“I want all of you to help me in an important task. Let’s look for all the hard-working and honest Colombians that live in our homeland and let’s build a movement of Colombians in Venezuela to defend sovereignty, peace in Venezuela,” Mr Maduro said on Tuesday.