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Venezuela to hold referendum that "authorizes" annexation of 2/3 of neighboring English-speaking Guyana

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Venezuela to hold referendum on seizing part of Guyana — and its oil (Financial Times)

 

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Caracas has for over 200 years claimed rights over Essequibo, a vast swath of the territory of neighbouring Guyana. But only now has it opted to hold a referendum among Venezuelans on taking over the 160,000 sq km of land. 

 

The heightened interest in the expanse of Amazon jungle springs in part from its resource riches, including offshore oil deposits that have since 2019 made Guyana the world’s fastest-growing economy. Another reason lies closer to home for Venezuela’s strongman leader Nicolás Maduro: elections next year.

 

The potential for Venezuela, an ally of Russia, to follow the referendum with an incursion into Western-leaning Guyana has raised concerns in the region. Brazil this week said it had increased the military presence in its northern areas, which border both countries.

 

“On Sunday December 3 we will respond to the provocations of Exxon, the US Southern Command, and the president of Guyana with a people’s vote,” Maduro said during a broadcast of his weekly television programme on November 20.

 

Guyana fears that the referendum may be a pretext for a land grab, and has appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to halt the referendum — a move that Caracas has rejected, though its claim to the land is largely internationally unrecognised.

 

“This is a textbook example of annexation,” Paul Reichler, an American lawyer representing Guyana before the ICJ, said in The Hague earlier this month, claiming that Venezuela is preparing a military build-up in the Essequibo region in case it wishes to enforce the outcome of the referendum.

Caracas said that its troops are carrying out anti-illegal mining operations near the territory, a sparsely populated region that is home to around 200,000 Guyanese who speak English and indigenous languages, though little Spanish.

 

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In Brazil, local media reported that a senator for the state of Roraima said the defence minister had agreed to his requests for military reinforcements in the municipality of Pacaraima, a strategic location for access to Essequibo.

 

The defence ministry said: “Defence actions have been intensified in the northern border region of the country, promoting a greater military presence.”

 

The World Court in the Hague has ordered Venezuela to refrain from any action that would "alter the current situation on the ground":

 

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World Court orders Venezuela to refrain from action in border dispute with Guyana | Reuters

WWW.REUTERS.COM
Judges at the World Court on Friday ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking any action that would alter the current situation on the ground in a potentially oil-rich territory that is the subject of a border dispute with Guyana, which controls the area.

 

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Judges at the World Court on Friday ordered Venezuela to refrain from taking any action that would alter the current situation on the ground in a potentially oil-rich territory that is the subject of a border dispute with Guyana, which controls the area.

 

The court did not expressly forbid Venezuela to hold its planned Dec. 3 referendum over its rights to the region around the Esequibo river, the subject of the long-running border dispute, as Guyana has requested.

 

However, judges made it clear that any concrete action to alter the status quo should be stopped.

 

Brazil has increased military readiness at its northern border:

 

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Brazil increases northern border military presence amid Venezuela-Guyana spat -ministry | Reuters

WWW.REUTERS.COM
Brazil "has intensified defensive actions" along its northern border as it monitors a territorial dispute between its neighbors, Guyana and Venezuela, the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday.

 

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Brazil "has intensified defensive actions" along its northern border as it monitors a territorial dispute between its neighbors, Guyana and Venezuela, the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday.

 

"The Ministry of Defense has been monitoring the situation. Defensive actions have been intensified in the northern border region of the country, promoting a greater military presence," it said in a statement.

 

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  • Commissar SFLUFAN changed the title to Venezuela to hold referendum that "authorizes" annexation of 2/3 of neighboring English-speaking Guyana
Commissar SFLUFAN

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5 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

So 2 questions, I guess:

  1. Is this referendum likely to be above-board and legitimately counted?
  2. If so, would this be the first known democratic vote by a population for a nation to go to war?

 

1. I see no reason why it wouldn't be because this is an issue on which Venezuela's "democratic" opposition largely agrees with Maduro

2. It's not technically a declaration of war but I really can't think of any other democratic precedent off the top of my head.

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On 12/2/2023 at 3:05 AM, Bitgod said:

I wonder what Brazil (not the Man, unlike Portugal) would do.  Are they strictly looking to keep anyone out of their territory, or would they decide what the hell, lets grab a little for us?

 

They're looking to ensure that there's no spillover into their territory if the worst comes to worst.

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Venezuelans approve takeover of oil-rich region of Guyana in referendum | CNN

EDITION.CNN.COM
Venezuelans voted by a wide margin Sunday to approve the takeover of an oil-rich region in neighboring Guyana – the latest escalation in a long-running territorial dispute between...

 

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Venezuelans voted by a wide margin Sunday to approve the takeover of an oil-rich region in neighboring Guyana – the latest escalation in a long-running territorial dispute between the two countries, fueled by the recent discovery of vast offshore energy resources.

 

The area in question, the densely forested Essequibo region, amounts to about two-thirds of Guyana’s national territory and is roughly the size of Florida.

Sunday’s largely symbolic referendum asked voters if they agreed with creating a Venezuelan state in the Essequibo region, providing its population with Venezuelan citizenship and “incorporating that state into the map of Venezuelan territory.”

 

In a news conference announcing preliminary results from the first tranche of counted votes, the Venezuelan National Electoral Council said voters chose “yes” more than 95% of the time on each of five questions on the ballot.

 

It is unclear what steps Venezuela’s government would take to enforce its claim, however.

 

 

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What happens next

 

The vote’s result was widely expected within Venezuela, although its practical implications are likely to be minimal, analysts say, with the creation of a Venezuelan state within the Essequibo a remote possibility.

 

It’s unclear what steps the Venezuelan government would take to follow through on the result, and any attempt to assert a claim would certainly be met with international resistance.

 

Still, the escalating rhetoric has prompted troop movements in the region and saber-rattling in both countries, drawing comparisons from Guyanese leaders to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many residents in the predominantly indigenous region are reportedly on edge.

 

“The longstanding row over the border between Guyana and Venezuela has risen to a level of unprecedented tension in the relations between our countries,” Guyanese Foreign Minister Robert Persaud wrote Wednesday in Americas Quarterly.

 

Even without implementing the referendum, which would require further constitutional steps and the likely use of force, Maduro may stand to gain politically from the vote amid a challenging re-election campaign.

 

 

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Guyana appeals to US and UN as Maduro advances annexation of territory | Venezuela | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM
Request for help came after Venezuelan president announced series of measures to formalize a referendum Sunday evening

 

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Guyana has appealed for help from the United Nations and the United States as the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, announced a series of measures intended to advance its annexation of two-thirds of the tiny South American nation’s territory.

 

“I have spoken to the secretary general of the United Nations and several leaders, alerting them of these dangerous developments and the desperate actions of President Maduro,” Irfaan Ali, president of Guyana, said in a television broadcast late on Tuesday, as he informed the nation of 800,000 of Maduro’s latest steps intended to create a new Venezuelan state in Guyana.

 

Ali’s comments came after Maduro announced a series of measures to formalise a referendum on Sunday evening in which voters overwhelmingly backed plans to recognise the 160,000km2 oil-rich swath of Guyanese jungle as its own.

 

 

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The Venezuelan president said he had ordered a law to be drafted recognising a new state – the Guayana-Esequiba – where the English-speaking residents would be given Venezuelan national ID cards. He also ordered national companies to begin mining and oil extraction operations in the resource-rich region, and for a special military unit to be created for the region, alarming observers and causing Brazil to send armoured vehicles to its border.

 

In videos posted on social media Maduro presented a revised national map showing an enlarged Venezuela which had swallowed up the region of Essequibo, demanding it be rapidly circulated in schools and universities in an attempt to enforce the results of Sunday’s referendum.

 

“I have immediately ordered for it to be published and taken to all schools, colleges, community councils, public establishments, universities and in all homes in the country, the new map of Venezuela with our Guayana-Esequiba. This is our dear map!” he said, presenting the illustration.

 

 

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“The Guyana Defence Force is on high alert,” President Ali said in his television address to the nation. “This is a direct threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence.”

 

Ali also accused Venezuela of defying the international court of justice, which last week ordered Venezuela not to take any action until the court rules on the countries’ competing claims – a process which is likely to take years.

 

Guyana is seeking support from the Caribbean political community, Caricom, the United States and other allies while raising the matter with the UN security council, Ali added, while simultaneously seeking to reassure investors concerned that Maduro could imminently stage a land grab.

 

“You have nothing to worry about when you invest in a country that governs itself in accordance with the rule of law, that stands on the side of democracy and understands what true freedom is,” Ali said. “So there is nothing to fear. Our international partners and international community are ready to support us. They’ve assured us of their support and all we want is for these missteps to be corrected by President Maduro and Venezuela.”

 

 

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United States reaffirms support for Guyana in territorial dispute with Venezuela - CNW Network

WWW.CARIBBEANNATIONALWEEKLY.COM
In a resolute display of solidarity, Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed unwavering support for Guyana in its ongoing territorial

 

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In a resolute display of solidarity, Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed unwavering support for Guyana in its ongoing territorial dispute with Venezuela. 

 

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During a recent phone call with Guyanese President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Secretary Blinken made it reaffirmed that the United States stands behind Guyana’s claim to sovereignty. 

 

Central to the conversation was Secretary Blinken’s appeal for a peaceful resolution to the longstanding dispute. 

 

“The Secretary reiterated the United States’ call for a peaceful resolution to the dispute and for all parties to respect the 1899 arbitral award determining the land boundary between Venezuela and Guyana, unless, or until, the parties reach a new agreement, or a competent legal body decides otherwise,” a State Department readout of the phone call said.

 

 

 

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US Holds Military Exercises In Guyana As Border Tensions Soar

WWW.BARRONS.COM
The United States said it will carry out military flights in Guyana on Thursday in a joint operation as the South American country faces soaring tensions with neighboring Venezuela over a contested oil-rich region.

 

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The United States said it will carry out military flights in Guyana on Thursday in a joint operation as the South American country faces soaring tensions with neighboring Venezuela over a contested oil-rich region.

 

"In collaboration with the Guyana Defence Force, the U.S. Southern Command will conduct flight operations within Guyana on December 7," the American embassy in Guyana said in a statement, noting the flights are part of "routine engagement" to enhance a security partnership between the two countries.

 

 

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