Page 8 - Essequibo River News Today

Tensions have been rising between Guyana and Venezuela after Venezuela voted to annex the Essequibo region in a referendum. Could the long-standing border dispute escalate into a war?

Neither Venezuela nor Guyana have militaries that are ready for a full-scale war – but that may not stop Nicolás Maduro from manufacturing a crisis.

Venezuela’s ruling Marxists are using some time-honored tricks to give their economically battered regime an edge for next year’s presidential elections. In a classic political mobilization tactic, President Nicolas Maduro held a “referendum” to ask his citizens what the future status should be for a mineral-rich but disputed region of a neighboring country, namely Guyana.

The long-running dispute over Essequibo, which comprises some two-thirds of Guyanese territory, has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered oil there in 2015.

The move follows an escalation over the highly contested Essequibo region

Brazil has deployed troops to its border with Venezuela after Caracas announced plans to make an oil-rich region of Guyana its own.

Guyanas president told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his country is taking every necessary step to protect itself from Venezuela.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro instructs oil companies to issue extraction licenses in the oil-rich Essequibo region of neighboring Guyana, escalating tensions and reviving a longstanding territorial dispute between the two countries.

The United States announced joint military flight drills in Guyana on Thursday as soaring tensions over a contested oil-rich region with neighbor Venezuela prompted the UN Security Council to call an urgent meeting.In New York, the UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors Friday to discuss the tensions, according to an updated official schedule.

With Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro vowing to annex the oil-rich territory of Guyana and his troops massing on the nations border, there are growing fears that an invasion of the country is imminent.