During an event commemorating the 12th anniversary of the death of President Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro announced that he will take measures to stop what he called an “illegal action” by Guyana and the U.S. oil company ExxonMobil in the Essequibo region, a territory disputed between the two nations.
The territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana has reached a new critical point following a complaint by Guyanese President Irfaan Ali about the incursion of a Venezuelan military vessel into waters that Guyana considers its own. The incident has sparked a strong diplomatic reaction and reignited historical tensions between the two countries over the Esequibo territory, which is currently under dispute in a case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
