Tensions continue to rise between Guyana and Venezuela relating to the ownership of the mineral and forest-rich Essequibo, with Guyana strengthening its military through a continued partnership with the United States Army.
The US Embassy recently reported that the leadership from the US Army 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) and the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) “discussed upcoming engagements to include strategic planning sessions and processes to enhance both countries’ military readiness and capabilities to respond to security threats”.
The SFAB is a specialized unit of the US Army established to advise and assist partner nations and according to the Embassy, the presence of the SFAB in Guyana is nothing new, as several joint training exercises have been conducted since 2022 with the GDF to strengthen their capacity and capability at the tactical and operational levels.
This is on the heels of Venezuela’s continued security threats toward Guyana with the most recent aimed at conducting a local referendum to have its voters decide on whether to invade Guyana to take over the area.
The referendum consists of 5 questions, including whether current and future Essequibo residents should be granted Venezuelan citizenship.
Guyana sees the referendum as a case of annexation and asked the International Court of Justice on November 14 to halt parts of the vote. The court’s decision will be handed down on Friday, December 1 during which Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the Court will read the Court’s Order regarding their decision.
Guyana applied to the ICJ in 2018 to have the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the border between Venezuela and the then-British Guiana, confirmed as legally enforceable. The 1899 ruling was likewise cited in this application as a ‘full, perfect, and final settlement’ of all issues pertaining to drawing the borders between Venezuela and the British Guiana province.
During an ICJ sitting, Venezuela vowed to go ahead with its referendum on Sunday, December 3 regardless of the decision handed down by the ICJ.
The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area accounts for two-thirds of Guyana.