Venezuelans have agreed in a referendum to a claim to the Essequibo area in neighboring Guyana, which is rich in oil, gold and other natural resources. The electoral council of the South American country announced this on Sunday evening local time, international news agencies report.
According to the electoral council, at least 10.5 million of the more than 20 million eligible voters turned out for the referendum organized by the government of President Nicolás Maduro. But the AP news agency and other observers have serious doubts about that turnout given the few voters seen at the polling stations on Sunday.
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Tiny Guyana fears annexation of its oil-rich region by neighboring country Venezuela
Long-standing border dispute
Venezuela and Guyana have both claimed Essequibo since colonial times, but an international arbitration commission awarded it to Guyana in 1899. The simmering conflict flared up in 2015 when ExxonMobil discovered oil in the area of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. President Maduro has now set his sights on Essequibo with an aggressive campaign. Sunday’s referendum is part of that.
After the results were announced, Maduro told his supporters that the referendum “is a great success for our country and for our democracy.” Residents of Guyana are afraid that the referendum will lead to the annexation of the area by the powerful Venezuelan army.
The International Court of Justice is dealing with the border dispute and on Friday ordered Venezuela “to refrain from any action that would change the prevailing situation in the Essequibo area.” But Venezuela does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over the conflict – a view that the Venezuelan people endorsed in one of five questions in Sunday’s referendum.