Maps of Venezuela show the Essequibo with oblique stripes, indicating that it is a disputed area. Some of these maps even obviate the nearly 160 square kilometers of land between Venezuela and Guyana. But the conflict, which has been at a standstill for decades, is now flaring up in what some analysts consider a pre-war climate.
Why is Essequibo a disputed territory?
Venezuela and Guyana have never made any progress in the conflict. It is a border dispute with more than 180 years of history, but now both nations want to accelerate a decision.
On one side, Guyana relies on an arbitration sentence of 1899, in which it was conceded the territory. Venezuela protested the ruling at the time and it became a multi-phase claim.
Meanwhile, Venezuela defends their position with the Geneva Agreement, signed in 1966, assuring that it is the only legal instrument in force, which was expected to resolve the conflict with negotiations between the two countries.
Since then, there have been neither advances nor setbacks in the dispute.
The Essequibo possesses an untapped wealth of minerals, oil, wood and gas. And, in 2015, Guyana discovered significant oil reserves in this disputed area and offered Exxon Mobil concessions to exploit it. At that time, Guyana distanced itself from the PetroCaribe umbrella (an initiative of Hugo Chávez that offered some nations advantages on the payment of Venezuelan oil) and went in 2018 to the International Court of Justice to resolve the case definitively.
Nevertheless, Nicolás Maduro decided not to recognize the legitimacy of this.
The current conflict over the Essequibo
“The time for negotiation is over. There will be no need for dialogue with Nicolás Maduro,” Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips said in early November. “There will be no meeting between Maduro and President Irfaan Ali,” he added.
The recent atmosphere of conflict between both countries began with these declarations and the statements made by the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, in which he said that he would cede “not even one centimeter of the Essequibo territory” to Venezuela. The declarations were made after signing oil concessions to multinationals, against the Geneva Agreement.
The decision aroused the anger of the Venezuelan government, which asked Guyana to stop the “provocations” and sent a letter to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, in which he asked for “the rectification of the errors committed that affect the sovereignty of Venezuela.”
Essequibo referendum in Venezuela
“Recovering Essequibo is a mission of the people… we are going to do it with the people, in the exercise of their sovereignty, voting in the historic referendum,” Maduro said on the state channel.
The Venezuelan government began a campaign for a consultative referendum within the country. On November 19, they carried out a simulation of the vote and the electoral process is scheduled for December 3.
The referendum has provoked a debate inside Venezuelan territory, dividing the people due to the possible political motivations of Maduro. Most specialists in Venezuela consider that, although it is valid to participate and continue with the claims of territorial rights, some of the referendum questions are tricky and should be answered with caution.
Other analysts consider that the decisions should rest with an international tribunal.
“Leaving in the hands of uninformed citizens decisions that require specialized knowledge, taking away from the country the possibility of a high-level defense in the Court, are evident acts of irresponsibility,” said international affairs expert Lauren Caballero in X.
Meanwhile, military information journalist Sebastiana Barraez warned about Maduro’s possible intentions to suspend the 2024 presidential elections. She told ABC: “Maduro knows that he is going to lose the elections with María Corina Machado. And to avoid this, he is already preparing to launch a referendum on Essequibo as a ruse to suspend the presidential elections.”
Guyana’s perspective
Guyana alleges that Maduro’s decisions are an “existential threat” to its territorial integrity and asked the ICJ to stop the popular consultation. “It seeks to create a new Venezuelan State that intends to annex and incorporate into its own territory the entire Essequiba region of Guyana, more than two-thirds of its national territory and grant Venezuelan citizenship to the population,” said former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge.
According to Guyana’s lawyer, Paul Richler, the Maduro government’s intentions “are far from neutral” and he fears the possible use of Venezuela’s military forces to win the conflict over the territory.
“Venezuela has made clear that the purpose of this referendum is not merely to assess public opinion. It is to obtain popular support for decisions that the government has already made and a license to act on those decisions,” he said.
The political opposition in Venezuela
The Unitary Platform said in a statement, “We consider that we have solid grounds in defense of our territory that should be exposed before the International Court of Justice and thus achieve in said court a decision adjusted to the laws… the current situation in which the defense of our rights is found is a consequence of an irresponsible foreign policy, of more than 20 years.”
Over the years, political groups opposed to the Venezuelan government have complained about the actions of Maduro and Chávez with respect to the Essequibo. “They acted in an absolutely irresponsible manner,” said presidential candidate María Corina Machado.
Regarding the referendum, she said that “it does not help the defense of the Essequibo and the territorial integrity of Venezuela. On the contrary, once again, the regime’s irresponsible actions are putting Venezuela’s sovereignty at risk.”
The past of the Essequibo with Maduro and Chávez
In 1999, Chavez said he would demand Venezuela’s rights over the claimed area. His position changed shortly thereafter as he tried to win international allies. Fidel Castro influenced Chavez’s decision to soften and relax the discourse, even recognizing Guyana’s rights to develop in the claimed area.
“Venezuela is paying for the diplomatic mistake of the times of Hugo Chávez, which supposed to have neglected the pending controversies with Guyana in the 2004-2014 period, time in which Maduro was his Chancellor”, said the international lawyer Kenneth Ramírez who affirms that Guyana took advantage of this oversight encouraged by Chávez’s idea of generating a continental leadership and getting votes in the Organization of American States.
The governments of Venezuela and Guyana have never been able to reach an agreement, but Chávez’s decisions at the time are currently placing obstacles and giving arguments to Guyana on an alleged decision of Venezuela to abandon the claim.
Images: Public Domain and Dan Lundberg
