The news that a Venezuelan coast guard patrol vessel – identified as ABV Guaiquerí PO-11 (IMO 4695542) – invaded our internationally defined Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Atlantic to hail a tanker and FPSO, and announce to them that they were operating in “disputed international waters”, marks another increasingly dangerous ratcheting up of Venezuelan hostilities directed towards us. This suggests that the recent attack on our soldiers on patrol in the Cuyuni River border by Sindicatos Bandits might not have been a maverick action but one directed from behind the scenes by the Venezuelan state, which has maintained relations with a number of these gangs in their Roraima state that borders us.
Back in 2021, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Decree had issued a decree purporting to establish “a new maritime territory of Venezuela called ‘Territory for the development of the Atlantic Façade’”, encompassing Guyana’s territorial waters, EEZ and continental shelf, as well as its land territory west of the Essequibo River. While we had denounced the announcement and lodged a diplomatic protest, not long after, a Venezuelan vessel had invaded our EEZ and Contiguous Zone and proceeded to intercept, board and commandeer two Guyanese fishing vessels and detain its crew.
Venezuela has recently announced that it was preparing to elect a governor of Essequibo, which it had “annexed” through legislation approved by its legislators, and it would appear recapitulating history by pushing their envelope once again. In 2021 Exxon had been announcing regular massive oil reserve discoveries, even as American sanctions were squeezing their economy. This time, Exxon had announced the eight project Longtail, which will add 250,000 bpd oil and 1 bcfd of gas by 2030. The new Trump US has also just reimposed oil sanctions by not renewing the license issued by the Biden administration to Chevron to pump and ship the 240,000 bbd of oil to the US and kept their economy afloat and stable over the past few years.
Our government had already alerted its allies and the international community of the Sindicatios incursion, and has once again done the same with the latest outrage by an official arm of the Venezuelan state. We have described over the years the hybrid, non-kinetic war waged by Venezuela in pursuit of expropriating Essequibo, which was settled as our territory through the 1899 treaty they had signed. This war shows all signs of going not only kinetic, but ballistic.
We commend President Ali on his forthright statement following the latest Venezuelan outrage: “We will summon the Venezuelan Ambassador immediately to register our strong protest over this matter. Additionally, through our own Ambassador in Caracas, we will lodge a formal protest with the Venezuelan Government.
At the regional level, I have already alerted the Chair of CARICOM, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, and the principal interlocutor of the Argyle Agreement, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to register our concern that this incursion constitutes a breach of the Argyle Agreement as well as the precautionary orders issued by the International Court of Justice.
Later today, we will formally advise the International Court of Justice of this incident. We will also bring this matter to the immediate attention of the Secretaries-General of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States, and CARICOM. Additionally, we will engage other international partners to ensure that Guyana’s sovereignty and rights under international law are upheld.”
But it is our considered option that we will have to expedite, broaden and deepen the moves we have already initiated to bolster our security forces so that they can, at a minimum, demonstrate to Venezuela that we will not be a walkover. Ultimately it will be up to us to defend our birthright. However, our allies, especially the US has been quite forthcoming in offering us support in all areas – materiel, training and collaboration.
The recent invasion of Maduro’s navy into our waters must not be only addressed by announcements that peter out and are revived when the next provocation arrives. Let us draw a line on this outrage and resolve to facilitate the removal of Maduro who has proven time and again that he is a destabilizing force in the Caribbean – with implications further afield.
