Guyana said the referendum decision would have no effect under international law
Venezuela aims to seize 74% of Guyana’s territory in a referendum on December 3. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made the announcement on Friday (November 10, 2023) on his profile on X (formerly Twitter). Guyana, which lies in the far north of South America, said the announcement was provocative and any decision would have no international legal effect.
The Essequibo or Guayana Essequiba region has been disputed between the two countries for more than a century. The place has an area of 160,000 square kilometers and is administered by Guyana, whose head of state is Irfaan Ali. Guyana has an area of 214,969 square kilometers and a population of 800,000. The official languages are English and regional languages. The currency is the Guyanese dollar.
Guyana’s wealth has grown due to oil discoveries on the country’s equatorial edge. The total oil volume at the site is estimated at 14.8 billion barrels. This volume represents 75% of Brazil’s total oil reserves.
The Government of Guyana declared on Saturday (11/11/2023) that the referendum was an international crime and that Venezuela was attempting to weaken the territorial integrity of the sovereign state of Guyana. You can find the full statement here (PDF 19 KB, in English).
The country claims that the treaty signed in Washington on February 2, 1897 established the dividing line between the colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela in 1899. The United Kingdom and Venezuela agreed that the results of the agreement would be a “complete, perfect and final” solution.
“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 country’s government said.
Guyana said the referendum was provocative, illegal and had no international legal effect.
“At the next #3Dic referendum (December 3rd), our people will democratically decide their future and fate. On a day that calls on all of us, across all differences, to defend our territory and respect our sovereignty. Essequibo comes from Venezuela!” Maduro explained.
Guyana economy
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 international company shows that the South American country grew by 43.5% in 2020, 20.1% in 2021 and 63.4% in 2022. Read in full (PDF 6 MB).
The IMF (International Monetary Fund) estimates the country’s GDP growth in 2023 at 38.4%. A report from the international organization said the country’s GDP growth in 2022 would be the “highest in the world.” He said that oil production has increased with the operation of the 3rd oil field. “Oil production will continue to grow rapidly with three new permitted fields coming online from 2024 to 2027 and a sixth field expected to come on stream in the first half of 2028,” the report said.
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 Contemporary Portal of Latin America and the Caribbean at USP (University of São Paulo), 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.