Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced over the weekend 60 days of martial law for five municipalities in the state of Tachira.

"The constitution and the law give me the power to declare this state of exception for 60 days, extendable for 60 days," said Maduro on state television.

Maduro’s declaration of a state of emergency comes in the wake of an attack by smugglers in which three soldiers and a civilian were injured. On Thursday, the United Socialist Party leader announced that the closure of the border would be extended until further notice.

Maduro’s move has been met with criticism from Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos who has said that ordinary people on both sides of the border would now have to suffer. As reported by BBC, Santos said, "If we cooperate, the only ones to lose are the criminals, but if the border is closed, there is no coordination and the only ones to gain are the criminals."

Whatever the immediate effects of martial law will be in and around the South American nation, the reality is that in Venezuela oil and food smugglers have had increasingly frequent run-ins with Venezuelan officers. Daniel Pardo of the BBC said, according to Maduro, Colombian paramilitary groups routinely come to Venezuela, bringing with them shortages while trying to foment chaos. Addressing this concern, Maduro said an additional 1,500 soldiers had arrived to reinforce the border area.

Speaking of martial law, Maduro said, "This decree provides ample power to civil and military authorities to restore peace."

According to the Independent, Maduro spoke of his decision as if it was a kind of last resort, saying, “We've been discovering a frightful reality about how the criminals and paramilitaries operate. I'm under the obligation to free Venezuela of all this.”

Maduro’s administration asserts that over 6,000 people have been arrested for smuggling in the past year.