"Guyana Condemns Venezuelan Naval Intrusion in Contested Oil-Rich Waters"

In a televised statement on Saturday, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali firmly criticized Venezuela after an armed naval vessel entered disputed maritime territory. Ali quickly informed international allies, including the Trump administration, and called Venezuela's ambassador to lodge an official diplomatic complaint. He clearly stated that the incident poses a significant threat to Guyana's national interests and its internationally recognized maritime boundaries, emphasizing intolerance for any threat against the nation’s integrity.

The Venezuelan government's representative countered by accusing President Ali of dishonesty in a sharply worded response. Nevertheless, the United States government, which recently tightened sanctions on President Nicolás Maduro’s administration, has openly supported Guyana's position. The U.S. State Department explicitly warned the Maduro administration against further provocations, cautioning that additional actions would yield consequences.

President Ali highlighted the presence of the Venezuelan naval vessel near several large oil storage vessels within the Stabroek Block, a vital oil drilling region operated by ExxonMobil and its partners, Hess Corp and China’s CNOOC. This oil block is notably significant, estimated to hold approximately 11 billion barrels of oil, and a fleet of aircraft, drilling ships, and support vessels regularly operates there.

The naval incursion follows a recent incident two weeks prior, when armed attackers, identified as Venezuelan pirates, clashed with a Guyanese military patrol along the Cuyuni River border area. That confrontation resulted in injuries to six Guyanese soldiers, with two suffering severe wounds.

The conflict between Guyana and Venezuela over territorial and maritime boundaries has persisted for decades, rooted in Venezuelan claims dating back to an allegedly unfair boundary commission in the 1890s. Following ExxonMobil’s discovery of substantial oil reserves in Guyana in 2015, Venezuela reignited its century-old dispute, intensifying territorial claims over the resource-rich Essequibo region, a large portion of Guyana’s land. Guyana has maintained control over this territory since gaining independence from British colonial administration in 1966.