A country in the far north of South America said the referendum was provocative, illegal and had no international legal effect
Venezuela will hold a referendum on the annexation of a Guyanese territory to the country. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made the announcement on Friday (November 10, 2023) on his profile on X (formerly Twitter). The country in the far north of South America said the announcement was provocative and a decision would have no effect under international law.
The Essequibo or Guayana Essequiba region has been disputed between the two countries for more than a century. The site covers 160,000 square kilometers and is administered by Guyana, whose head of state is Irfaan Ali. Venezuela wants to annex an area that makes up more than half of its neighboring country.
Guyana has an area of 214,969 square kilometers and a population of 800,000. The official languages are English and Urdu, along with other regional languages. The currency is the Guyanese dollar.
“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.
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.