The Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday (29) that it is monitoring the situation between Venezuela and Guyana and that defense measures have been “intensified” in the border region in the north of the country. According to the ministry, there was an increase in military personnel in the region.
Senator Hiran Gonçalves (PP) called on the Ministry of Defense to reinforce the armed forces in Pacaraima, a Brazilian city on the border with Venezuela, due to the dispute between the Venezuelan country and Guyana over the Essequibo region (Further information can be found below).
Essequibo, administered by Guyana, has an area of 160,000 km² about 70% of Guyana’s current territory and has oil reserves estimated at 11 billion barrels.
1 of 1 Border between Brazil and Venezuela. — Photo: Romeu Lima Photography/Disclosure/Arquivo Border between Brazil and Venezuela. — Photo: Romeu Lima Photography/Disclosure/Archive
According to the senator, in a conversation on Tuesday (28), Defense Minister José Mucio had already guaranteed military reinforcements on the border between Brazil and Venezuela, mainly in the municipality of Pacaraima, a strategic access point to the Essequibo.
The senator’s request comes on the eve of the referendum in which Venezuela asked the country’s population to respond to the creation of a new province called “Guyana Esequiba” in the territory of Essequibo.
The referendum called by Nicolás Maduro is scheduled for this Sunday (3) and plans to grant Venezuelan citizenship to 125,000 residents of the Essequibo region.
For the senator, the military reinforcement due to the upcoming referendum will ensure the safety of Brazilians living in Pacaraima.
Venezuela and Guyana have been fighting over the Essequibo region since 1966. In 2015, the dispute intensified when the American company ExxonMobil discovered oil fields in the region.
Guyana claims ownership of the territory because there is a report prepared in Paris in 1899 that established the current boundaries.
Venezuela claims the territory belongs to it because of a 1966 agreement signed with the United Kingdom before Guyana’s independence that annulled the arbitration award and laid the groundwork for a negotiated settlement.
Guyana wants the dispute to be resolved at the International Court of Justice. Venezuela wants to try to negotiate with its neighboring country.