Venezuela Engulfs Two-Thirds of Guyana, Security Council Consults
The United Nations Security Council held a closed-door session late on Friday dedicated to the rapid escalation of tensions between Venezuela and Guyana over Caracas' attempt to annex the oil-rich Essequibo region of the neighbouring country. Guyana asserts that Venezuela's actions regarding the oil-rich Essequibo region, a longstanding dispute over a century, "threaten international peace and security."
The UN Security Council session was convened at Guyana's request. Delegates left the Security Council meeting without making any statements. Ecuador, also a Central American country like Venezuela and Guyana, presides over the Council this month.
As of now, the situation remains precarious, and global leaders are calling for calm amid Venezuela's commitment to "recover" the region claimed by both neighbours. Additionally, Venezuela condemned the joint military exercises conducted by the United States and Guyana, labeling them as "provocation."
The conflict escalation seems increasingly predictable after the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro conducted a so-called referendum on the fate of Essequibo on December 3. During this plebiscite, voters were asked whether citizenship should be granted to the English-speaking people of the new "Guyana Essequibo state" and whether this state should be "included in Venezuela's territory." Caracas officially announced that 95% of voters supported these decisions.
However, analysts believe that the so-called referendum is an attempt to divert attention ahead of the 2024 elections, given the actual focus on oil deposits. Although Maduro is indeed set to run for a new term amid an economic crisis and a reduction in oil production in the country, he might consider this so-called small victory beneficial.
Currently, the Essequibo region is the subject of a border dispute at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. Essequibo has been under Guyana's administration for over a century. The region constitutes about two-thirds of Guyana's territory, with approximately one-sixth of the country's population of 800,000 residing there. Guyana insists that the Essequibo border was determined by an arbitral tribunal in 1899. In contrast, Venezuela claims that the Essequibo River in the east of the region forms a natural border, recognized as far back as 1777.
Tensions around the Essequibo region began to intensify rapidly from 2015 when the American oil corporation ExxonMobil, operating in the region under Guyana's licenses, discovered massive oil reserves there.
On December 8, Maduro made a rather strong statement: "Guyana and ExxonMobil will have to face us sooner rather than later." This was publicly stated during a ceremony in front of the Miraflores presidential palace. As evidence, Maduro displayed a map showing the extension of Venezuela's territory into the Essequibo area.
It seems this was a response to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana, that the U.S. would conduct joint "flight operations in Guyana" as part of "routine cooperation and partnership-strengthening security operations" with its ally.
There was even a Twitter spat between Venezuela's Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, and Guyana's Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo. The former called the U.S. actions a provocation, while the latter stated that Venezuela would "not succeed now or ever" in capturing the region.
Brazil, a significant southern neighbour, has increased its military presence near the borders of both countries. Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed "growing concern" over the tension on the northern border of his country. Venezuela has also been urged to restraint, even from London.
Nevertheless, just two days after the vote, Maduro proposed a bill to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo. He also ordered the state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to issue licenses for crude oil extraction in the region.