Russia and China are happy: Venezuela wants to annex parts of Guyana

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Sunday will be a fateful day for Guyana. Then the citizens of Venezuela will decide whether their country should annex two-thirds of Guyana. Now the region is preparing for war. Blick gives you the most important details about the potential new source of conflict.

Venezuelan head of state Nicolás Maduro (61) wants to annex an area four times the size of Switzerland. A 24th Venezuelan state will then be created on this territory, called Guyana Esequiba. The German Handelsblatt suspects that a large proportion of Venezuelans will probably be in favor of annexation.

From Guyana’s perspective, the referendum entails nothing less than the annexation of two-thirds of the national territory by the neighboring country. That is why Guyana went to the International Court of Justice. The country demands that measures be taken to stop the referendum in Venezuela. Representatives of Guyana speak of an “existential threat”.

The Essequibo area in western Guyana that will be annexed has been disputed since colonial times. At the time, Guyana belonged first to Spain, then to the Netherlands and finally to Great Britain. At the time, Venezuela claimed all the area around the Essequibo River for itself, but without success. When Guyana gained independence from Britain in 1966, Venezuela again laid claim to Essequibo.

There are several reasons why the Essequibo issue is now back in focus. The main reason: oil deposits discovered in 2015. Today, Guyana produces petroleum, generating unprecedented revenue for the country. If Venezuela annexes the territory, it would be an important new source of revenue for the country – albeit one that would violate international law.

Venezuela itself has the largest oil reserves in the world. But due to government mismanagement, corruption and a lack of investment, what was once the West’s top oil-producing country now produces only about a million barrels a day.

Moreover, the timing of the referendum strongly suggests that Venezuelan President Maduro is acting for domestic political reasons. He appeals to national pride as he hopes for a much-needed boost in popularity. He hopes the vote will win sympathy among the exhausted and impoverished population.

In South America, the conflict is being viewed with concern. Two weeks ago, an attempt to bring Venezuela and Guyana to the negotiating table failed in the Brazilian capital Brasilia, with the participation of several states from the region.

However, Maduro seems to mainly want to challenge the US with his aggressive foreign policy. And the Americans can hardly afford that at the moment: a conflict right on the doorstep, where they already have to worry about Ukraine, the Middle East and domestic political problems. According to the Handelsblatt, US naval units reportedly carried out maneuvers in the Guyanese capital Georgetown in July.

But other countries are also interested in the region: the regime in Venezuela has long had close military and economic ties with Iran and Russia. China also pursues strategic interests there and is by far Venezuela’s largest creditor.

This is unclear at the moment. The Venezuelan military has already said it will follow “the people’s mandate to retake their state” if Sunday’s referendum is approved.

According to some reports, Brazil’s armed forces have been put on heightened alert due to a significant movement of military equipment and personnel in eastern Venezuela, on the border with Guyana.

It is currently unclear whether the international supporters of the two countries will also be involved.

Source: Blick