https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67610200
In a referendum held in Venezuela on Sunday, more than 95% of voters approved the establishment of sovereignty over this territory. Although at first glance the results of the vote to annex foreign territory to Venezuela were impressive, only two million residents took part in it, that is, approximately 10% of the population eligible to vote.
However, inspired by the success, Maduro has already ordered the state oil company to issue licenses for the development of oil fields in the region and proposed that the National Assembly of the country adopt a bill to include this territory in Venezuela.
In response, the Guyanese authorities brought the country's armed forces to a state of full combat readiness, and President Irfaan Ali stated that he had already held negotiations with the UN Secretary General and asked the Security Council to consider the issue of intervention in this conflict. “This is a direct threat to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Guyana,” said Irfaan Ali. “Guyana sees this as an immediate threat and will strengthen preventive measures to protect its territory.” The President of Guyana also assured international investors, mainly oil companies, that their investments were not at risk.
Guyana-Essequibo has been the source of territorial disputes for more than two centuries. Caracas says the region ceded to Venezuela after the country gained independence from Spain in the early 1800s. The Guyanese authorities in response to this recall that the territory of Guyana-Essequibo was part of British Guiana, which later became independent Guyana. The conflict flared up with renewed vigor in 2015, after one of the world’s largest oil companies, the American ExxonMobil, discovered a large oil field in Guyana-Essequibo.
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