Shortly after a binding ruling from the Word Court, which explicitly barred the Venezuelan government from proceeding with any attempts to annex the Essequibo Region—constituting two-thirds of Guyana’s territory—the Nicolas Maduro regime has appointed a self-styled “Governor” for the region. Maduro has also ordered his nation’s state owned company PDVSA to begin issuing licences for oil and gold mining. Maduro has also given all companies within the Essequibo region, three months to exit.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) emphatically stated that the area under “dispute” must remain under Guyana’s control until a verdict is reached on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, designating the resource-rich county as part of Guyana.
Venezuela’s actions have been flagged by Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali as an “imminent threat” to Guyana’s sovereignty. Ali also said he has informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and other heads of regional and international blocs, alerting them of the dangerous developments by Venezuelan authorities.
Ali said that his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro’s actions pose a significant danger to regional peace. Effectively, this positions Venezuela as an “outlaw” nation, he said.
He noted that immediate steps will be taken to inform the UN Security Council, apprise the ICJ and engage bilateral partners such as the United States of America, the United Kingdon, France, and the Commonwealth.
Maduro’s actions appear to be a test of the ICJ’s “mettle”, Ali noted, adding that the strongman’s move could lead peoples of the region down a precarious path that leads only to instability.
The Guyanese president maintained that his government nor the Caribbean is advocating for war, adding that Guyana’s aspiration is to maintain the region as a zone of peace and safeguard its territorial integrity
“We call on Venezuela to commit to peace,” the president declared.
This latest move by Venezuela comes two days after the government went to referendum, urging its citizens to vote in favor of annexing the Essequibo and incorporating Guyanese residents, despite the region having been part of Guyana for over 120 years.
