Armed attacks on Guyanese soldiers in Essequibo escalate tensions with Venezuela
A string of armed attacks on Guyanese soldiers patrolling the disputed Essequibo region has intensified tensions between Guyana and neighboring Venezuela, as both countries continue to assert competing claims over the mineral-rich territory.
The Guyana Defence Force reported that three separate incidents took place within a 24-hour span along the Cuyuní River, near the contested border. Armed men in civilian clothing targeted Defence Force patrols in areas between Eteringbang and Makapa. In a statement issued Thursday, the force confirmed that no soldiers were injured and characterized its responses as 'measured' and 'calculated.'
'On each occasion, the Guyana Defence Force executed a measured response, and no rank sustained any injuries,' the statement read. The military added that it would 'continue to respond to acts of aggression along the Guyana-Venezuela border.'
This latest wave of violence marks the second such incident this year. In February, six Guyanese soldiers were wounded in an ambush allegedly carried out by masked gunmen crossing from the Venezuelan side.
The renewed hostilities come amid an increasingly volatile dispute over the Essequibo region — a sparsely populated, resource-rich area that comprises about two-thirds of Guyana's territory. Venezuela has long claimed the land as its own, despite a 1899 arbitration award that recognized it as part of Guyana.
Adding to the tension, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López last month accused the United States of plotting to overthrow President Nicolás Maduro in order to seize control of the Essequibo. Speaking during a televised address Tuesday, Padrino López claimed the territory was being targeted as a 'spoil of war' for U.S. interests.
'The threat constantly evolves, but one thing remains unchanged: the conspiracy to surrender our homeland,' he said during a graduation ceremony at the Bolivarian National Guard command. 'They want to convert the Essequibo into a spoil of war — part of a plot to deliver our territory in exchange for regime change imposed by U.S. imperialism.'
The decades-old territorial dispute has seen renewed international attention in recent years, as oil discoveries off Guyana's coast and increased militarization along the border raise fears of a broader conflict.
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