Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro prepared more than 5,600 military personnel after the UK deployed a warship to waters off the coast of Guyana in a show of support for the former British colony.
Maduro declared his plan of defensive action in response to the provocation and threat of the UK against peace and the sovereignty of their country.
Maduro Prepares Military Effort
CARACAS, VENEZUELA - DECEMBER 4: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro speaks during a press conference on the day after Venezuelans voted in the referendum about the border conflict with neighboring country Guyana about the potential oil-rich Esequibo region on December 4, 2023 in Caracas, Venezuela. Voters rejected the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) jurisdiction over the area in dispute and backed the creation of a new state. Political analysts see the referendum as a way of the government to show its muscle ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Defense announced that the UK would send a patrol vessel HMS Trent to Guyana amid escalating territorial disputes that started when Maduro reaffirmed Venezuela's claim to the oil-rich Essequibo area.
The 62,000 sq mile Essequibo region is generally considered part of Guyana. Following significant oil and gas discoveries in recent years, Venezuela has reaffirmed its claim to the region and its offshore areas.
Tensions erupted this month due to a referendum in Venezuela when voters backed a move to make the Essequibo area a new Venezuelan state. The voters also rejected the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, which is hearing the case on the border dispute.
The MoD did not mention Venezuela or the border dispute when it announced that the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Trent is visiting Guyana, a former colony and ally of the United Kingdom, as part of a series of engagements in the region.
Maduro said on Thursday that it was breaking the spirit of dialogue, diplomacy, and peace of the agreements. He claimed the deployment was practically a military threat from London.
Furthermore, he has ordered the activation of a joint defensive action of the Bolivarian national armed forces off the coast of Essequibo.
He noted that they believe in diplomacy, in dialogue, and in peace. "But no one should threaten Venezuela, no one should mess with Venezuela. We are men of peace, we are a people of peace, but we are warriors and this threat is unacceptable for any sovereign country," he added.
Maduro explained that the threat of the decadent, rotten, ex-empire of the United Kingdom was unacceptable. Venezuela's foreign ministry said the country reserves all actions within the constitution's and international law's framework to defend its maritime and territorial integrity.
A UK foreign minister, David Rutley, visited Guyana earlier this month and reaffirmed the importance of respecting the country's territorial integrity.
Rutley said that the border issue has been settled for more than 120 years, and they welcome the recent agreement by Venezuela to refrain from using force and any further escalation.
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Dispute Between Venezuela, Guyana
A border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana currently exists over the Essequibo, an area the size of Florida that is sparsely populated and has significant oil resources off its coast.
The leaders of both countries met on the Caribbean island of St Vincent. They agreed that they would solve their dispute through nonviolent means amid the escalating tensions over the region.
However, Guyana's President Irfan Ali said his nation reserved the right to work with its partners to ensure the defense of his country.
Related Article: Guyana Refuses to Bow to Venezuela Over Oil, Mineral Territorial Dispute
