Tensions on Essequibo: Nicolás Maduro’s regime deploys new troops near Guyana border

Venezuela increased its military presence near the disputed Essequibo region controlled by of GuyanaThat could exacerbate tensions with its neighbor over a region home to large oil deposits, a new report from a Washington-based study group shows.

A report published this Friday by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Releases Satellite Images as Evidence Building a Military Base in Venezuela Anacoco Island, on the border with Guyana. Images from mid-January show a staging area with accumulated construction materials, three armored vehicles, a heavy river ferry and clearing of a new area to the north, the report describes.

While Venezuela and Guyana have disputed the sparsely populated territory since the 19th century, the conflict has intensified in recent years following companies such as the exploration of large oil fields off the coast of Guyana. Exxon Mobil Corp. Tensions flared late last year after Nicolás Maduro’s regime held a referendum that showed overwhelming support for his nation’s bid to take control of Essequibo.

“This escalation in Venezuelan behavior creates opportunities for miscalculations and a loss of control over events on the ground,” said the report, led by the CSIS deputy director for the Americas. Christopher Hernandez-Roy. “It is still unclear whether Maduro will be able to effectively avoid misunderstandings and manage the forces he unleashed with the December referendum.”

Commander of Venezuela Elio Estrada Paredes More than 65,000 soldiers began construction of a school and hospital in Anacoco for the benefit of local communities, wrote on social media.

Other experts say that Venezuela had already begun Improve its infrastructure along the rivers His speech intensified when Maduro proposed a referendum in December on Essequibo, on the border with Guyana.

“It is an expansion of the infrastructure needed to set up military operations in the area,” he said. Andreas Serbin, an Argentina-based analyst at the Regional Coordinator of Economic and Social Research, adds that the buildup is happening all along the border with the Essequibo region. “They have deployed Iranian-made ships and Russian-made anti-aircraft systems in Guiria, across the Atlantic. This presence is quite normal.

Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfan AliA meeting was held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on December 14 where they pledged to refrain from using weapons against each other and agreed to maintain dialogue.

However, after the meeting, Maduro sent more than that 5,000 troops and a number of ships and aircraft off their country’s east coast to counter the arrival of a British Royal Navy patrol vessel to conduct military exercises with Guyana. Venezuela withdrew troops after the ship withdrew.

Then, in a follow-up meeting in Brazil on January 25, the foreign ministers of both countries committed keep calm and continue to work towards a diplomatic solution to the dispute. After Exxon announced plans this week to drill two exploratory wells off the coast of Essequibo, Venezuela’s defense minister said the plans would face a “proportionate, forceful and legitimate response.”

(With information from Bloomberg)