Guyana renews condemnation of Venezuela’s aggression tactic at border

Guyana has once again reached out to its international partners including the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to renew its concerns over the bridge that Venezuela to bridge the Spanish-speaking country to Ankoko Island along the Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Speaking at the Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Christmas Luncheon at Base Camp Ayanganna on Thursday, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Irfaan Ali reminded officers that in the face of threats to the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, diplomacy remains a key aspect of Guyana’s defence strategy.

“Today, I’ve asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to once again express in writing to the International Court of Justice, to our international partners and our neighbours that we do not take lightly and we condemn the bridge that they would’ve built on territory, or accessing territory, that is not theirs,” President Ali stated.

Earlier this year, tensions between the two South American neighbours were heightened after satellite images were shared, showing that Venezuela’s National Armed Forces built a bridge to Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni River.

Ankoko Island is shared by the two countries but Venezuela illegally took over the entire island and also established a military base there in 1966 after Guyana gained independence.

While the Guyana Government had explained back in May that the bridge was built on Venezuela’s half of the island, this development had renewed concerns over the Spanish-speaking nation’s claims to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass in the Essequibo region and a portion of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where in excess of 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels have been discovered over the past nine years.

This border controversy is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Guyana is seeking a final and binding ruling of the 1899 Arbitral Award that determined the boundary between the two South American neighbours.

Only earlier this month, 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 ultimately, the court will 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 will have the opportunity to respond with its Rejoinder, due on August 8, 2025.

Further, it was explained that the ICJ will in due time set a date for the oral hearings between Guyana and Venezuela to commence. The Ministry also expressed confidence that an adequate case for Guyana has been made in its reply.

Despite this pending case at the World Court, however, the Nicolás Maduro-led Venezuelan regime has been stepping up its aggressive tactics, including a military buildup on Venezuela’s border with Guyana. This has been roundly condemned by the international community and the ICJ had imposed orders on both Guyana and Venezuela, not to escalate the matter further last December.

In fact, Venezuela’s aggression towards Guyana had led to the historic CARICOM-brokered meeting in St Vincent and the Grenadines, where Presidents Ali and Maduro signed the Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace on December 14, 2023, which states, inter alia, that they would not threaten or use force against each another. But Venezuela’s actions over the past year have been labelled as a breach of the peace agreement.
Nevertheless, Guyana continues to receive support from regional and international partners, who have called for a peaceful resolution of the border controversy between the two nations.

According to President Ali on Thursday, Guyana will continue to do what is right, that is, follow the international course of law and diplomacy.

“Our defence strategy is also built on partnership. It is built on partnership with our friends, and our allies. It is built on partnership with our neighbours. It is built on a partnership with our region. It’s built on partnership with your counterparts…”

“We’ll continue to engage our friends and allies. We’ll continue to build our resilience and we promise all of Guyana one thing – all of Guyana belongs to all of us and all of Guyana will and must be protected by all of us. And that is the resolve of you – the men and women in uniform,” the Guyanese Leader told the GDF officers.