ALJAZEERA: Venezuela military defector: I'll keep fighting for our freedom →

Ricardo* sat on the stairs inside a Colombian migration office, dressed in his green Venezuelan military fatigues. He recalled his childhood, watching the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez deliver charismatic speeches on television.

Ricardo said Chavez inspired him to join the armed forces.

A Venezuelan National Guard defector at a migration office in Cucuta, Colombia. Photo: Steven Grattan