GDF will continue to be vigilant against “constant & unscrupulous” threat to border – Army Chief

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has committed to being vigilant against “constant and unscrupulous” threats to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

This assurance has been given by Chief-of-Defence-Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, during remarks he made at the opening of the Annual Officers’ Conference of the GDF, on Thursday at Base Camp Ayanganna in Georgetown.
According to Brigadier Khan, the GDF is confident in its ability to execute its defence mandate, including detecting threats and defending Guyana’s territory.
“Amidst all these [global] challenges, the constant and unscrupulous claim to our territory from an increasingly unstable neighbour continues to present a clear and present danger too close to home…I can assure you, we – the men and women in uniform of the Guyana Defence Force – have remained vigilant, and will continue to do so; and militant, and do not contemplate being nothing less,” Brigadier Khan has declared.

Remain vigilant
As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Irfaan Ali has again charged the GDF to remain vigilant in protecting the country’s borders and its people, thereby ensuring that Guyana remains a safe and secure nation in the face of evolving transnational threats.
“Guyana must remain resolute in defending its sovereignty while continuing to pursue a peaceful resolution through the ICJ (International Court of Justice). At the same time, we must remain vigilant and prepared to respond to any escalation that threatens our national security. To counter these threats, Guyana continues to bolster its capability,” the Head of State has declared.
The Commander-in-Chief added that Guyana has to also continue the strong work it has been doing in regard to military diplomacy: building partnership and expanding relationships, especially with our allies.
“The Guyana Defence Force plays a critical role in safeguarding our borders from any potential aggression…Our efforts must extend beyond military preparedness. We must continue to actively seek diplomatic support and solidarity from the international community; from our regional partners, particularly within Caricom, the Commonwealth, and the Organization of American States. Let not our restraint and our commitment to peace diplomacy and the rule of law be interpreted as a sign of weakness! Guyana is prepared and ready to always defend our nation against any threat to its sovereignty!” President Ali has asserted.

The Head of State went on to laud the officers who are serving at Guyana’s border locations, noting that their sacrifices and selfless commitment to national defense of our motherland must never ever be taken for granted.
Of recent, there have been heightened tensions as Venezuela continues its aggression towards Guyana amid a border controversy that is currently before the World Court for final settlement. The latest act of Venezuelan aggression was committed at its border with Guyana in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), where the Spanish-speaking nation has built a bridge to connect its mainland to Guyana’s Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River, where the Venezuelan Army has a military base.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd had last December met with Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Perez Silva, who had committed to providing an explanation for the aggressive tactics Venezuela was employing at the border with Guyana.
“Guyana also registered its formal protest (at) the completion of a bridge built by the Venezuelan Armed Forces to link the Venezuelan mainland to Ankoko Island, and specifically to the military base which is situated on the part of Ankoko Island that belongs to Guyana,” a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry on December 20, 2024 detailed.
President Ali had, earlier on December 20, 2024, indicated that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was instructed to write international partners, including the ICJ and Venezuela, to renew Guyana’s condemnation of the bridge that was built on Ankoko Island.
Under the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 and the Boundary Agreement of 1905, the international boundary that separates Guyana from Venezuela passes through Ankoko Island, dividing the island between Guyana and Venezuela, with Guyana’s sovereignty extending over the territory east of the boundary line. However, while Ankoko Island is shared by these two South American nations, Venezuela has illegally taken over the entire island, and has established a military base there since 1966, after Guyana gained independence.
Then, earlier this year, there were reports, substantiated by satellite images, that Venezuela’s National Armed Forces were building a bridge to Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River.
The Guyana Government has said that Venezuela’s activities, including its military activities east of the boundary line, have thus violated Guyana’s sovereignty, and international law requires that those activities be halted, and that all personnel, facilities or equipment built or brought there by Venezuela be removed.
Venezuelan Ambassador Perez Silva had posited that Caracas is in receipt of Guyana’s protest note, and that an explanation would be forthcoming. However, it has not been revealed whether that response has been received.
Guyana has moved to the ICJ to seek a final and binding ruling of the 1899 Arbitral Award that determined the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.
Venezuela is claiming ownership of the entire Essequibo county, more than two-thirds of Guyana’s land mass, and a portion of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where in excess of 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels have been discovered over the past nine years.
As recently as in December 2024, Guyana submitted its final written reply to Venezuela’s counter-memorial, pointing out that the Spanish-speaking nation’s case is without merit, and that the court should ultimately confirm the 1899 award as valid and legally binding.
In the merits phase of the case, Guyana’s Memorial was submitted on April 8, 2023 and Venezuela’s Counter-Memorial was made one year later, on April 8, 2024. Now with Guyana’s Reply filed on December 9 as set out by the ICJ, Venezuela would have the opportunity to respond with its Rejoinder, due on August 8, 2025.
It has previously been reported that the ICJ would, in due time, set a date for the oral hearings between Guyana and Venezuela to commence.