War in Latin America. Why Venezuela can attack Guyana: the history of conflict

The territorial conflict between Venezuela and Guyana has been extending since 1899, but now it is exacerbated. Huge reserves of oil have been found in the region of Esekibo. President Maduro wants to "restore territorial integrity" through a referendum and capture a rich region. Brazilian intelligence claims that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro plans a military invasion of the Republic of Gayana in the coming days. AP reports.

Nicholas Maduro makes an effort to hold a referendum on one of the Guyana regions. Venezuela residents will be offered to answer 6 questions on December 3, including whether the residents of Essecibo have Venezuela's citizenship. Gayana views the future referendum as annexation, so on November 14 she appealed to the International Court of Justice to suspend certain parts of the vote.

The court has not yet issued a decision, but if it is against Venezuela, a referendum will still take place on Sunday in the country. Among the issues is to stop recognizing the jurisprudence of the International Court of Justice. The temporary decision of judges is expected on December 1. Essecibo I have an area of ​​159. 5 square kilometers and is two -thirds of the Guyana territory.

Venezuela denied the borders identified by international arbitrators in 1899, when most of the disputed territories were under the control of British Guiana. Venezuela also appeals to the 1966 agreement, according to which the parties have to hold a border between the countries but peacefully. The representative of Venezuela's governing party William Farinias says that the residents of Essecibo are already "feeling Venezuelan.

" His one -partyman Juan Romero also added that if the referendum decides to distribute passports, a constitutional reform will be carried out to make English in state language. Guyana is the only English -speaking country in Latin America. In 2015, ExxonMobil found large oil fields in Essecibo. The region is also rich in gas and other minerals. Already in 2023, Guyana announced the first round of bidding for oil production on 11 blocks.

After that, a referendum was announced for "restoration of territorial integrity". In the Esekibo region, the roots of Gayana live. They point to the names of the monuments in their native language as an example that this region never belonged to Venezuela. They also insist that the referendum does not change their lives. Guyana wants to solve the problem through the International Court. However, he still has not made a decision to recognize the borders of 1899 and to cancel the treaty of 1966.

They invited the International Court of Ukraine to ban Venezuela any "creation" of the state in Esekibo. They require prohibition of granting Venezuelan citizenship to the population of the region, as it will be a violation of the UN Charter. Also, to protect against Venezuela Guyana, he wants to create military bases with the support of the United States in the region. "We have never been interested in military bases, but we must protect our national interests.

Next week, two teams from the US Department of Defense will come to us, and then there will be several high -level visits in December," said Vice -President Gayana Jagdeo. The Brazilian Ministry of Defense has announced the deployment of troops on the northern border in response to the escalation of the tension between Venezuela and Guyana. "The Ministry of Defense is following the situation.