The people of the Venezuelan country will hold a referendum on Sunday (December 3) to vote on annexation. International court rejected possibility
Military aircraft of the Venezuelan Armed Forces displayed a sticker with the country’s map and the addition of the territory of Essequibo, Guyana. The Venezuelan population will vote in a referendum on Sunday (December 3, 2023) on the annexation of 74% of the neighboring country.
The video was shared on the Venezuelan Air Force’s Instagram profile. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the referendum in November. He defends annexation.
Guyana criticized the attempt. The International Court of Justice, a judicial body of the United Nations (UN) in The Hague, ruled on Friday (December 1, 2023) that Venezuela cannot take the measure.
Reproduction/Instagram @comgral_amb 12/2/2023 Sticker on an aircraft of the Armed Forces of Venezuela with the map of the country and the territory of Guyana
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The country’s armed forces’ planes featured the phrase “all of Venezuela” in reference to the disputed territory.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
The dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the territory of Essequibo has lasted more than a century. The site covers 160,000 km² and represents 74% of the neighboring country’s territory. It is rich in oil and minerals and has access to the Atlantic Ocean.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro called for a referendum on the annexation of the territory. He said Venezuelans would “democratically decide their future and their 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!” explained the head of the executive branch.
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 defends the Treaty of Washington of 1897 and the Paris Report of 1899, which declared the territory to be part of Guyana, then a British colony, and established the boundary line of the territory.
“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 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 text (PDF 6 MB).
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 reports from the OAS (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).