On December 3, Venezuelan authorities held a referendum on the annexation of the oil-rich Essequibo region of neighboring independent Guyana.
Another war may begin in the world – on December 3, the Venezuelan authorities held a referendum on the annexation of the oil-rich Essequibo region of neighboring independent Guyana. Residents were asked to answer five questions, including whether they would agree to the creation of a new state of Guyana-Essequibo, granting citizenship to its population and including it on the map of Venezuela.
What area?
The dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over Essequibo has a long history. Venezuela considers the territory to be within its Spanish colonial-era borders and disagrees with the 1899 International Arbitration Tribunal decision that assigned Essequibo to what was then British Guiana. The territory became Guyana and declared independence from Britain in 1966.
On Venezuelan maps, Guyana-Essequibo is always colored as a disputed territory.
The conflict erupted with renewed vigor in 2015 after one of the world’s largest oil companies, the American ExxonMobil, discovered a large oil field in Guyana-Essequibo.
In recent decades, Guyana’s economy has been one of the fastest growing in the world thanks to the oil boom and the discovery of large offshore oil and gas reserves. Most of the oil reserves are located in the Essequibo region, which covers almost two-thirds of the country’s territory and is also rich in minerals and timber.
In 2018, Guyana filed a case with the International Court of Justice, where it sought to confirm once and for all that the 1899 decision was valid and that Guyana-Essequibo was a legitimate part of the country. However, there is still no court verdict.
Venezuela does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court to resolve this issue, but has regularly sent its representatives to all meetings over the past five years.
To be war?
It is unclear what exactly Caracas plans to do based on the vote results, but any attempt to seize the disputed territory by force will face strong international resistance, observers say.
In theory, approval of the referendum gives Maduro the ability to initiate border clashes with the involvement of the army at any time. Concerns about a possible military escalation are growing on both sides. In the week before the referendum, Guyana’s Foreign Minister Robert Persaud described the level of tension between the countries as “unprecedented”. At the same time, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali visited troops in Essequibo and defiantly raised a flag on a mountain bordering Venezuela. The Venezuelan military, in turn, announced the construction of an airstrip that will be a “logistic support point for the integrated development of Essequibo,” and Brazil, at the center of these talks , has increased its military presence in the northern border region.
One of the ways of influencing Venezuela is the continuation of US sanctions against its oil companies. Such sanctions have been in effect for many years, and only in October of this year they began to soften.
The International Court of Justice on Friday called on the Maduro government to avoid any actions that could disrupt the status quo of Guyana-Essequibo and lead to a change in the situation in the territorial dispute.
Opponents of the Maduro regime at home and abroad say the referendum is aimed at raising nationalist sentiment in the country ahead of elections in 2024.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.