Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro unveiled a new official map of the country that included the territory of Essequibo, the western region of the independent neighboring state of Guyana.
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El País reported this on December 6.
Essequibo is a region rich in oil and gas.
On December 3, Venezuela held a referendum on the annexation of Essequiboya. Venezuelan authorities claim that 2/3 of Guyana’s territory “was stolen” when the border was drawn more than a hundred years ago. At the same time, Guyana considers the referendum an annexation.
Maduro previously said that the western part of neighboring Guyana, Essequibo, should become the country’s 24th state.
On his instructions, the state oil concern will begin issuing licenses for oil development in this region rich in natural resources. Actually, this is the reason for the claims to Essequibo (which has a long history). Appetites increased when another large deposit was found there.
On December 3, a referendum was held in Venezuela, where 95% of citizens supported the inclusion of Essequibo into the state. Although many media outlets claim falsification and low turnout.
In 2024, presidential elections will be held in Venezuela, which is why the current authorities are heating up the topic of annexing Essequibo.
The leader of Guyana has already called the mentioned referendum a reason for annexing the region, and the Prosecutor General promises to appeal to the UN if Venezuela takes further steps.
The UN only “called on Venezuela to refrain from any measures against the territorial integrity of Guyana.”
Guyana fears the referendum could lead to an invasion and has asked the International Court of Justice to stop the vote. The International Court of Justice ordered Venezuela to refrain from “any action,” but did not completely ban the referendum.
Essequibo is an oil-rich region located in the western part of the neighboring independent state of Guyana. Official Caracas considers it the 24th state of Venezuela.
Source: Racurs
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.