[News Terms] Venezuela-Guyana Dispute Over 'Geumssaragi Land'

South American countries Guyana and Venezuela are intensifying their conflict as Venezuela plans to hold a referendum to grant Venezuelan citizenship to residents of the gold-rich land where large-scale oil fields have been discovered, both claiming sovereignty over the area.

The disputed area is Guyana's 'Guayana Esequiba,' referring to six regions west of the Essequibo River in western Guyana, covering an area of 159,500 km². This territory accounts for two-thirds of Guyana's total land area (210,000 km²) and has long been rich in resources such as gold and diamonds. However, its value soared after large-scale oil fields were discovered offshore in 2015. ExxonMobil, which conducted oil exploration in Guyana at the time, estimated the oil reserves to be around 3.2 to 5 billion barrels. The discovery transformed Guyana from a poor South American country reliant on sugarcane and rice farming into a resource-rich nation. Guyana's economic growth rate increased from the previous 3-4% range to 20-40% after oil drilling began in earnest in 2019.

A panoramic view of Kaieteur Falls located in the 'Guayana Esequiba' region of Guyana.

The dispute between geographically adjacent Venezuela and Guyana has continued since colonial times. Spain, which occupied Venezuela, and the Netherlands, which occupied Guyana, failed to clearly define the border before Guyana came under British control. Since Venezuela gained independence from Spain in the early 19th century, it has had sharp conflicts with Britain over this area. The 1899 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling favored Britain, seemingly settling the issue, but when Guyana gained independence from Britain in 1966, Venezuela renewed its claim over Guayana Esequiba, arguing it was land taken during British occupation. Although the international community intervened to mediate and the conflict seemed to pause, the discovery of oil fields in the area reignited the dispute.

The Venezuelan government claims, "The 1899 arbitration ruling was not only an imperialist coercive decision but also nullified by the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which stipulated a 'peaceful resolution of the dispute with Guyana,'" asserting effective control over Guayana Esequiba. It also opposes the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decision that it has jurisdiction over the matter and that the dispute should be resolved through international legal procedures.

According to local media, the Venezuelan referendum scheduled for the 3rd of next month will ask voters to approve or reject five items: ▲rejection of the 1899 arbitration ruling ▲support for the 1966 Geneva Agreement ▲opposition to recognizing the ICJ's jurisdiction ▲rejection of Guyana's claims regarding territorial demarcation ▲establishment of a new state in the area and granting Venezuelan citizenship to local residents.

The Guyanese government strongly opposed Venezuela's claims, calling them "a clear violation of our sovereignty." Vice President Bharat Jagdeo criticized, "Our people do not want Venezuelan identification cards that starve our citizens and force them to flee to other countries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.