Tension is rising between Guyana and Venezuela: Guyanese President Irfaan Ali estimated Tuesday evening that statements by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were “a direct threat”, the latter having ordered the granting of oil licenses in the Essequibo, region under Guyanese administration and rich in oil. This exchange comes as Venezuela held a referendum on Essequibo on Sunday. According to official figures – disputed by many observers – some 10.4 million Venezuelan voters took part and 95% said they were in favor of integrating the area into their country.
Riding on this “victory”, Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday ordered the public oil giant PDVSA to grant oil and gas exploitation licenses in the Essequibo region. He also proposed that the country adopt a special law prohibiting the signing of contracts with companies working in the sector under concessions granted by Guyana. Nicolas Maduro mentioned a three-month deadline given to these companies to withdraw from the zone “to be demarcated”, while nevertheless saying he was “open to discussion”.
He also asked to ensure that a law is promulgated to create the province of Guayana Esequiba, that a census be conducted there and that identity cards be issued to the inhabitants. The Venezuelan president nevertheless called for “a diplomatic agreement, fair, satisfactory for the parties and friendly” while affirming that his country would “recover” the Essequibo where vast deposits of crude oil were discovered in 2015.
“Full alert” in Guyana
The Guyanese president did not wait long to react, delivering an exceptional address to the nation late Tuesday evening. “This is a direct threat to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Guyana… Guyana considers this an imminent threat… will intensify precautionary measures to safeguard its territory,” he said. “I spoke this evening to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and several leaders to alert them to this dangerous development and the desperate actions of President Maduro which jeopardize international law and constitute a significant risk to international peace and security “, he added.
“We urge President Maduro to reverse his mistakes and act and behave in accordance with international law,” he said, stressing that Guyanese forces were on “full alert”. “Venezuela has rejected international law, the rule of law, justice (…) as well as the preservation of international peace and security and has literally declared itself an outlaw nation,” he said. he insisted.
On the international side, Beijing, an ally of Caracas, asked the two countries to resolve their dispute “in a correct manner”. “China has always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for its Foreign Ministry. Beijing “has always supported Venezuela and Guyana to properly resolve issues relating to border demarcations,” Wang added, as this meets “the interests of the people of the two countries and also promotes stability, cooperation and development in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” he added.
Oil discovered in 2015
Caracas has for decades claimed Essequibo (sometimes called Guayana Esequiba), a territory of 160,000 km2 representing more than two thirds of Guyana and where 125,000 people live, or a fifth of its population. Venezuela maintains that the Essequibo River should be the natural border, as in 1777 during the time of the Spanish Empire. Guyana, for its part, believes that the border dates from the English colonial era and was ratified in 1899.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest judicial body of the UN whose jurisdiction Venezuela does not recognize in this case, ordered the Venezuelan government on Friday to “refrain from any action likely to modify the situation” in Essequibo and both parties to “refrain from any action likely to aggravate or extend the dispute”.
Venezuela’s claim has become even hotter since the discovery of oil in the Essequibo by ExxonMobil in 2015. A new and significant discovery of black gold took place last month in the region, adding to Guyana’s reserves at least ten billion barrels, more than those of Kuwait. Guyana has the largest oil reserves per capita in the world. Venezuela, for its part, has the largest proven reserves on the planet.