Venezuela defies ICJ ruling with referendum on annexing Essequibo from Guyana
On Friday, December 1, 2023, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Venezuela to "refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation that currently prevails," referring to the dispute over Essequibo, land long held by Guyana.
Venezuela has laid claim to the Essequibo region since 1811, when it gained independence from Spain. It has never accepted the border between Venezuela and what was then British Guiana, established by international arbitrators in 1899.
VZ defies ICJ
Ignoring the ICJ's warning, on Sunday Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro went ahead with a planned referendum that sought the public's opinion on the annexation of Guyana's Essequibo region.
According to AFP, about 10.5 million votes were cast by Venezuela's 20.7 million eligible voters, said the president of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso.
But the tally stirred confusion, since an opposition politician suggested that each voter cast a total of five votes -- one for each question on the referendum related to Venezuela's claim.
Guyana unites
In Guyana, thousands of people, some of them wearing T-shirts reading "Essequibo belongs to Guyana," formed human chains in solidarity with their government, and their president offered assurances that the country's borders were secure.
But tensions have been rising since Guyana took bids in September for several offshore oil exploration blocks, and after a major new find was announced in October.
Guyana's petroleum reserves are similar to those of Kuwait, with the highest reserves per capita in the world.
Political ploy
The Miami Herald reported that ‘Venezuela watchers’ have said Maduro’s threat is likely more of a political ploy meant to fan the flames of nationalism and boost his faltering popularity, Venezuela watchers told the Miami Herald.
“Maduro would be crazy” to actually try and seize the territory, given the “number of negatives of annexation,” one expert said. Invading Guyana would risk further isolating money-depleted Venezuela from the global economy, risking more sanctions on Caracas, and creating “more international problems than the ones [Maduro] already has,” another think tank researcher told the Herald.
Referendum cannot settle dispute- US
Meanwhile, the United States (US) has made it clear that the existing border controversy between the two South American nations cannot be settled through a referendum.
At a press briefing on Monday, December 4, 2023, Spokesperson for the US Department of State, Matthew A. Miller reiterated his country’s support of a peaceful resolution of the controversy between the two states.
"We would urge Venezuela and Guyana to continue to seek a peaceful resolution of their dispute.
“This is not something that will be settled by a referendum.”
Guyana’s Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, on Monday, told the News Room that Guyana is prepared for the worst, building defence cooperation with its allies, even though it does not believe that Venezuela’s President will order an invasion of Guyana.
VI home to many Guyanese
The [British] Virgin Islands is home to a large population of Guyanese.
A 16-member from the [British] Virgin Islands visited Guyana in July to explore trade, investment and enhanced cooperation with Guyana. The VI team was led by the Hon Lorna G. Smith, OBE (AL) Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade.
The Virgin Islands government has since announced it is considering lifting the visa requirement for Guyanese visiting the VI.
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22 Responses to “Venezuela defies ICJ ruling with referendum on annexing Essequibo from Guyana”
Moreover, the threat by o Venezuela to annex a large area of its close neighbor Guyana land area (Essequibo region) is about both oil and greed. Venezuela has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. Nevertheless, that is not enough; it wants more—-pure greed. Who is going to help Guyana defend its sovereignty? Is CARICOM, Commonwealth of Nations, UN, etc., coming to Guyana’s. Defense? Will multinational corporations of America , Europe, Asia, etc. ,push their government come to Guyana’s defense?
Seems like they forgot. I shared a link to refresh their memories.