The president did not comment on Nicolás Maduro’s attempt to annex part of Guyana, contrary to statements about conflicts far from Brazil
The lack of a statement from the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on Nicolás Maduro’s decision to annex part of Guyana is troubling the armed forces.
They compare it to the president’s words about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. They say the local conflict is the only one that can pose risks for Brazil.
The president said the two South American countries needed “common sense.” He made no mention of Maduro or the referendum. He repeated the strategy of balancing the sides, as he did in other conflicts.
Lula stated that he intends to visit Guyana in 2024. He will attend the Caricom (Common Market and Caribbean Community) Summit scheduled to take place in February. “I want to take part because these are things I want to talk about: democracy, finance,” he said.
The PT member and the Venezuelan are allies. In May, Lula even said that many criticisms of the regime in Venezuela, which is considered a dictatorship, were “narratives”. The speech was delivered during Maduro’s visit to Brazil.
Border insecurity
Military officials say the lack of a political definition of how to deal with rising tensions caused by the Venezuelan referendum is preventing the development of strategies at the border.
The GSI (Institutional Security Office) is monitoring the situation via PPIF (Integrated Border Protection Program). So far only one decision has been made: the movement of Venezuelan troops through Brazil will not be permitted.
Lula met with Chancellor Mauro Vieira and special adviser Celso Amorim on Wednesday (December 6). He will face José Múcio (defense) on December 6th (December 8th).
Mucio told this Power360 that it will be up to Itamaraty to decide together with the president how to deal with the conflict: “My job is to guarantee Brazilian sovereignty.”
referendum
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said on Sunday evening (December 3, 2023) that Venezuelan voters voted for measures that could lead to the annexation of 74% of Guyana’s territory. According to the country’s electoral authority, more than 95% of people approved the five referendum questions establishing the state of Essequibo.
In the post on X, Maduro celebrated the result. “Celebration of the great victory of the Venezuelan people in the consultative referendum in defense of our Guyana Esequiba,” he wrote.
During the vote, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali said the Guyanese people should not fear the referendum in Venezuela. He explained that the first line of defense is diplomacy and that he is committed to ensuring that borders remain “intact.” He also stated that Guyana is in a strong defense position and has the support of several countries such as the United States, Canada and France.
REFERENDUM
Venezuelans voted to annex part of Guyana’s territory in a referendum on Sunday (December 3). The measure, which is consultative in nature, was announced by Maduro on November 10th.
The dispute between the countries, which has been going on for more than a century, is related to the Essequibo or Guayana Essequiba region. Following the result, the Venezuelan government must decide on strategies to annex the territory.
Essequibo has an area of 160,000 km² and is administered by Guyana. The area accounts for 74% of the neighboring country’s area, is rich in oil and minerals and has access to the Atlantic Ocean.
The referendum asked five questions in which Venezuelans chose between the answers “yes” and “no.” They were approved by Venezuela’s CNE (National Electoral Council) in October.
These are questions about the Paris Report of 1899 a measure resulting from a treaty signed in Washington in 1897 that established the territory as part of Guyana, then a British colony, and established a dividing line for the territory.
The questions also relate to the 1966 Geneva Agreement in which the UK recognized Venezuela’s claim to Essequibo and classified the situation as negotiable.
One of them also questions the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to judge the case. The United Nations judicial body in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled on Friday (December 1) that Venezuela cannot take steps to annex the territory.
According to the decision, Nicolás Maduro’s government must “refrain from any action that could alter the current situation in the disputed territory.” Here is the full sentence (PDF 227 kB).
Read the referendum questions:
The government of Guyana classified the measure as “provocative, unlawful, null and without effect under international law”. He also accused the Venezuelan leader of an international crime by attempting to weaken the territorial integrity of the sovereign state of Guyana. You can find the full statement here (PDF 19 kB).
The country also adheres to the Washington Treaty of 1897. “For more than six decades, the border has been internationally recognized, accepted and respected by Venezuela, Guyana and the international community as the land border between the two states,” the government said.
THE CHOICE
According to Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, just over half of eligible voters went to the polls. In the referendum, 10,554,320 (out of a total of 20,694,124) were counted, not counting the votes cast in the last two hours of voting.
Venezuela has 15,857 voting centers spread across 335 municipalities in the country’s 23 states and the capital.
Voting began at 6 a.m. local time (7 a.m. Brazil time) and ended at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. Brazil time) as it was extended by two hours.
The official result of the referendum will be published from December 8th to January 6th, as set out in the official calendar. Here is the full calendar (PDF 258 kB).
Read more:
BRAZIL
On Thursday (November 30), the Brazilian Ministry of Defense reported that it had increased the military presence in the border region in the north of the country near Venezuela and Guyana.
The reinforcement came at the request of Senator Hiran Gonçalves (PPRR), who called for a reinforcement of troops in Pacaraima (RR), a town on the border with Essequibo.
In addition, Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean in Itamaraty, Gisela Maria Figueiredo Padovan, said that Brazil is following the issue with “attention” and is holding highlevel talks with both countries in “the search for a negotiated solution.” He explained that the Brazilian government viewed the referendum as an “internal matter of the country.”
“We don’t give opinions. However, we know that the outcome is likely to be positive because it is an issue that unites the government and the opposition [da Venezuela], perhaps the only issue on which both sides agree. So I think it’s no surprise if people answer ‘yes’ to the questions,” he told reporters on Thursday (Nov 30).
Read more:
Guyana economy
Guyana has 214,969 km² and 800,000 inhabitants. The official languages are English and regional languages. The currency is the Guyanese dollar.
The country’s wealth has grown from oil on the edge of the equator. It is expected to become a new oil power in the region. The total oil volume at the site is estimated at 14.8 billion barrels. This volume represents 75% of Brazil’s total oil reserves.
According to World Bank forecasts released in October this year, Guyana’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is expected to grow by 29% in 2023. It will be the highest achievement among Latin American and Caribbean countries. Data from the company shows that the South American country grew by 43.5% in 2020, 20.1% in 2021 and 63.4% in 2022. Read the full report (PDF 6MB).
The IMF (International Monetary Fund) estimates that the country’s GDP will grow by 38.4% in 2023.
STORY
The first settlers in the region were the Spanish, who came to the region in 1499. In the 16th century, Guyana came under Dutch control. According to the USP (University of São Paulo) Contemporary Portal of Latin America and the Caribbean, the Dutch believed that El Dorado could be in the region a legend says that there was a city there where gold was plentiful.
In 1616 the first Dutch fortress was built in Essequibo. The place was also intended to serve as a trading post and be administered by the Dutch West India Company. The then Dutch colony began to use the export of sugar and tobacco as an economic basis.
With the introduction of an extensive irrigation system in the 18th century, Guyana expanded the amount of agricultural land, which attracted English settlers from Caribbean islands.
At the end of the 18th century, the population of British origin in the region outnumbered the Dutch. With the French Revolution and France’s expansion in Europe, the Dutch decided to hand over part of their colonies to English administration to protect themselves from possible French intervention. .
In 1814, the colonies of Essequiba, Demerara and Berbice were officially transferred to England through the AngloDutch Treaty. The territory was renamed British Guiana in 1931. The country declared independence in 1966, but remained part of the British Commonwealth a group of former British colonies.
TIRES
The 60yearold President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, heads an autocratic regime with no guarantees for basic freedoms. For example, it keeps people in prison for “political crimes.”
There are also limitations described in OAS (Organization of American States) reports on the “illegitimate appointment” of the National Electoral Council by an illegitimate National Assembly and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (as of October 2022, November 2022 and March 2023).