United States Increases Its Military Aid to Guyana in the Face of Threats from Venezuela’s Dictatorship

The United States is increasing its military aid to Guyana, officials confirmed Monday Venezuela’s dictatorship threatens to take over much of the country’s territory which he has claimed for a long time.

Joe Biden’s government has pledged to help Guyana buy new planes, helicopters, a fleet of unmanned military aircraft and, for the first time, radar technology. Guyanese officials did not provide further details and declined to say how much they expect to pay.

The plan was confirmed a day after the United States Deputy National Security Adviser, John Finer, and the Director General for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez, met with Guyanese authorities to discuss improving defense capabilities.

His visit was the latest engagement of senior defense and administration officials, including the Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenTo enhance Guyana’s capacity to protect itself from external threats.

“This cooperation is fundamentally defensive and based on our desire for Guyana to be able to defend its territorial integrity against any potential threat,” Finer told reporters late Sunday.

He added that “we do not believe it is appropriate for countries to threaten or publicly contemplate the use of force against another country.” It was a veiled reference to Venezuela, which late last year massed a small number of troops along its eastern border and threatened to annex Guyana’s mineral-rich Essequibo region after holding a referendum to approve the annexation.

Tensions between the two countries have eased since talks in December mediated by Brazil and Caribbean leaders. In late January, a second round of talks was held in Brazil in which foreign ministers participated to prepare for an upcoming summit between the Venezuelan dictator. Nicolás Maduroand the Guyanese President, Irfan Ali.

At the height of tensions, the US military assisted Guyana with surveillance flights, and military advisers were present to assist the poorly armed and ill-equipped Guyanese army. It has fewer than 5,000 troops for a country of about 800,000 inhabitants.

Guyana’s president said his administration would soon buy a fleet of at least four American helicopters, along with drones, fixed-wing aircraft and other equipment.

The Chief of General Staff, Brig Gen Omar KhanHe told the agency Ap On Monday, the authorities will also buy radar systems to improve air and maritime domain awareness and capabilities.

“Capacity cannot be bought like institutions. “We have to make it,” he declared.

Venezuela maintains that Essequibo, a 160,000 km2 region rich in natural and mineral resources, is part of its territory because it was a colony of Spain and appeals to the Geneva Conventions signed in 1966 before Guyana’s independence from the United Kingdom. laid the groundwork for a negotiated settlement and annulled the 1899 Award, which established the borders Georgetown asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to ratify.

However, this is a century old controversy. The controversy escalated in 2015 After the American oil company ExxonMobil discovered large reserves of crude oil in the claimed area.

And tensions rose after Venezuela held a referendum on Essequibo’s sovereignty on 3 December, which prompted the creation of a formal state in that region, and then with the arrival of a British warship in Guyanese waters, to which Venezuela responded. mobilizing more than 5,600 men in military exercises near the disputed border.

(With information from AP and AFP)