Venezuela Troop Build-Up Near Border Violates International Law, Warns Guyana

The Essequibo dispute between Venezuela and Guyana continues to escalate as Guyana blasted its neighbor's recent troop build-up along their shared borders. Guyana, which has a smaller military compared to its Latin American neighbor, warned that this recent troop build-up is in violation of international law.

"This is not the first time Venezuela has adopted a military posture that appears to be threatening," said Guyana Foreign Minister Hugh Todd in an interview with the Financial Times. This comes as fears over Venezuela attempting to annex Essequibo are at an all-time high.

Essequibo is officially recognized by many countries around the world as part of Guyana, not Venezuela. This stems from an 1899 international tribunal ruling that Essequibo is part of Guyana's territory. However, this did not stop Venezuela from continuing to claim the territory as its own.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro only intensified the country's claims after oil and mineral resources were found in the area. This led to his referendum last year, and despite the low turnout, it led to Maduro declaring Essequibo as Venezuelan territory, despite this not being recognized by other countries like the US, the UK, and Guyana.

Venezuela recently added more and more military presence near its border with the Essequibo region. This is shown by images published last week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think-tank.

Those satellite images showed Venezuela deploying light tanks and armed patrol boats at Anacoco Island near the border. The satellite images also showed that Venezuela is expanding a nearby military base to house up to 300 troops.

Guyana Fears Nicolas Maduro Might Break His Promise To Settle Essequibo Dispute Peacefully

After Nicholas Maduro went after political opponents and broke his recent deal with the Venezuelan opposition and the US, Guyana is now afraid that their neighbor might also break its deal with them. The recent troop build-up is not helping allay those fears.

Christopher Hernandez-Roy, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies spoke with The Guardian and stated that "The same day that the Venezuelan foreign minister is meeting with Guyanese diplomats, the Venezuelan military is conducting tank drills just a stone's throw from Guyana. All of this tells us Maduro is pursuing a duplicitous policy."

The organization further warned, "This escalatory behavior on the part of Venezuela creates opportunities for miscalculation and loss of control over events on the ground."

Venezuela Human Rights Groups Demand Release of Missing Human Rights Activist

Venezuela is also accused of once again cracking down on its opposition as the election approaches. This was evident when prominent human rights activist Rocío San Miguel and several family members recently went missing.

San Miguel was arrested at an airport as she was trying to fly to Miami for vacation. According to the Associated Press, several rights groups, including Cofavic, are demanding her release.

"The prolonged isolation and lack of communication to which the defender Rocío San Miguel and her family have been subjected represent forms of cruel and inhuman treatment, harmful to the psychological and moral freedom of the person," said Cofavic's Claudia Carillo. Her arrest also set off a wave of criticism against the Maduro regime from the international community.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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