Julia: Army sends armored vehicles to Venezuela border
But why is Brazil doing this?
The aim, according to the same military source, is to prevent the conflict from reaching Brazil.
“The idea is to send a message that our territory cannot be used for any operation,” the source told the blog.
A possible invasion of Guyana by land would inevitably have to take place via Brazil, which shares a border with both countries.
The 28 armored vehicles and a new force with up to 150 men will arrive in the region in the coming weeks.
1 of 2 Guarani Amphibious Armored Vehicle Photo: Brazilian Army/Disclosure Guarani Amphibious Armored Vehicle Photo: Brazilian Army/Disclosure
Venezuela x Guyana: What happens after the referendum is approved?
UNDERSTAND: On Sunday (4) Venezuela organized a referendum in which 95% of voters present voted for the country to include in the Venezuelan map the territory of Essequibo, a border region between the two countries that has been disputed for more than 100 years.
Both Guyana and Venezuela claim rights to the territory based on international documents:
- Guyana claims ownership of the territory because there is an 1899 report prepared in Paris that established the current boundaries. At the time, Guyana was a territory of the United Kingdom.
- Venezuela claims the territory belongs to it because this is stipulated in an agreement signed with the United Kingdom itself in 1966, before Guyana’s independence, which annulled the arbitration award and laid the basis for a negotiated settlement.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW: The Venezuelan government is not obliged to implement the decisions of the referendum and it is still not clear what the Chavista regime’s strategy should be.
Guyana’s president says he will go to the UN Security Council over a new map of Venezuela with the Essequibo region
Bill establishing the Province of Essequibo
Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela, proposed a bill to the National Assembly of Venezuela to create the province, which in practice would mean the annexation of Essequibo.
“I immediately ordered the publication and delivery of the new map of Venezuela with our Esequiba Guyana to every school, college, local council, public institution, university and every home in the country. This is our beloved card!” he published on a social network.
He also released a new map of the country that included Essequibo, the region of Guyana that the Venezuelan government claims as its own.
2 of 2 Nicolás Maduro has published a version of the new map of Venezuela on a social network Photo: Reproduction Nicolás Maduro has published a version of the new map of Venezuela on a social network Photo: Reproduction
The new version of the map has also been included in artwork illustrating Venezuelan government agencies.
In a public statement, Maduro also announced that he would order Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA to issue licenses for oil and gas exploration in the region.