Venezuela wants to annex parts of Guyana – this is the current status New parliament sworn in in the Netherlands

What happened?

The Venezuelan people overwhelmingly supported Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region in neighboring Guyana on Sunday, according to the authoritarian government. On Sunday, almost 96 percent of participants answered yes to the question of whether a new federal state called Guayana Esequiba should be created and its population should be given Venezuelan citizenship, as the electoral authority CNE announced in the evening (local time).

The CNE reported a referendum turnout of around 51 percent; the people of Essequibo were not involved. It was initially unclear what further steps the Venezuelan government would take next. President Nicolás Maduro celebrated the result as a victory for Venezuela in front of hundreds of supporters at Plaza Bolívar in the capital Caracas.

What area is it about?

The Essequibo Territory (Spanish: Guayana Esequiba, also Territorio del Esequibo) is located west of the Esequibo River and is legally part of present-day Guyana. With an area of ​​approximately 159,000 km², the area covers approximately 62 percent of the entire Guyanese national territory.

However, Essequibo is extremely sparsely populated by comparison: in 2010, 283,000 people lived there, giving a population density of approximately 1.77 inhabitants per km².

What does the claim entail?

Esequibo was already a disputed area in the 19th century. During the colonial period, after long disputes, the British Kingdom established the boundaries of its colony of British Guiana in the east in 1814 by a treaty with the Dutch. However, the border in the west with Venezuela, which became independent in 1830, was not determined until 1840 by a German botanist commissioned by Great Britain.

The demarcation was in favor of the United Kingdom and encroached on (current) Venezuelan territory. As a result, Venezuela did not recognize them. It was not until 1897 that Venezuela agreed to submit to an international commission of lawyers. In 1899 this largely decided in Britain's favour.

Since then, Venezuela has repeatedly renewed its claims to the area internationally. Incidents have occurred several times. For example, in 2015, then Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez granted a concession to the American company ExxonMobil to explore oil reserves in the Essequibo maritime area. In 2004, he assured the Guyanese government that Venezuela would not interfere in the oil trade in Essequibo.

Why does Maduro want Essequibo?

In October, the opposition in Venezuela received an unexpected boost. Former center-right politician Maria Corina Machado attacked President Maduro over the continued rampant inflation and food shortages in the country, as the American portal CNN writes.

An analyst from the International Crisis Group told the portal: “An authoritarian government faced with a difficult political situation is always tempted to look for a patriotic theme to throw the flag around and gain support, and I think yes.” what Maduro is doing.”

However, Essequibo is not only interesting for the autocratic ruler from a patriotic point of view: the oil fields off the coast are extremely productive. According to CNN, Guyana is on track to become the fourth largest oil producer in the world.

What does Guyana think about this?

Guyana sees its security at risk as a result of the referendum. “I have a message for President Maduro: nothing you say, no propaganda or lie will strike fear in the hearts of Guyanese,” Guyana President Irfaan Ali said during a speech at the National Stadium, according to a report in the Guyana Chronicle newspaper . “Let me be very clear: we must not be trampled.”

In a televised speech late Tuesday evening, Ali told Guyana's 800,000 residents: "I have spoken to the Secretary General of the United Nations and several heads of state and made them aware of these dangerous developments and the desperate actions of President Maduro."

He added that he had specifically sought support from the Caribbean Political Community, CARICOM and the United States. For Ali, it was important to emphasize that foreign investors in Guyana do not have to worry about their investments because the international community is on Guyana's side.

President Ali visited troops in the Essequibo region last week and "dramatically" raised a Guyanese flag on a mountain overlooking the border, according to CNN.

What does the international community say?

The International Court of Justice had already ordered Venezuela to do the following before the referendum:

António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, said in November that he was following the situation with great concern. Brazil has now expanded its troops in the northwest of the country on the border with Venezuela and Guyana, according to “le monde”.

What now?

Maduro presented to the media a new map that already shows the Essequibo area as part of Venezuela. He then ordered that this map be immediately distributed to all schools and colleges in the country.

The Venezuelan president has also ordered the drafting of a law that would formally make the territory of Essequibo a Venezuelan federal state. He has also ordered national oil companies to start oil production in Essequibo.

It is unclear what will actually happen next. Maduro's statements create uncertainty. Brazil recently responded and fortified its border with Venezuela with armored vehicles.

However, according to CNN, a military intervention by Venezuela would certainly encounter international resistance.

What happens to the Venezuelan opposition?

Most Venezuelan opposition figures already live abroad. The reason for this is, among other things, that they face political persecution in their home country; the US also shares this view. Arrest warrants have now been issued by Maduro's government against fourteen members of the opposition. The accusation is treason and forming a criminal organization.

The fourteen defendants also include three employees of the main opposition figure María Corina Machado. She wants to run against President Maduro in the upcoming 2024 elections, although a court ruling in July 2023 banned her from holding political office for 15 years.

Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim president, Juan Guaidó, is also among the fourteen defendants. He was president of the Venezuelan National Assembly from 2019 to 2020 and leader of the opposition until 2023. He has been living in Miami, USA, on a tourist visa since the spring of 2023.

(Supplemented with material from the SDA)