Latin Analysis: Uncovering The Colonial Roots Of The Venezuela-Guyana Border Dispute

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Nestled between the Caribbean Sea and the Amazon Rainforest lies a terrain that has been the focal point of a Venezuela-Guyana territorial dispute spanning over a century, the Essequibo region. Currently, under Guyana’s control, this area has withstood several political transitions and ideological shifts, yet the legacy of colonialism within the area continues to hold influence over the borders of Venezuela and Guyana. This border conflict revolves around a territorial dispute over the Essequibo Region which is home to many valuable natural resources. Both countries claim sovereignty over the area. The conflict reignited after oil was discovered by ExxonMobil in the Stabroek offshore reserve in May of 2015, more than a hundred miles off the coast of the Essequibo region. Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro faces mounting political pressure as Venezuela’s economy remains turbulent. Many believe that Maduro is attempting a rally around the flag, as he is forced to hold an election this year as part of a deal with the United States to lighten sanctions. Polls seem to show the country is likely to elect a new leader, but pushing the country into conflict may make an election impossible. 

In December, President Maduro called for the country to hold a consultative referendum to vote on the possible annexation of the Essequibo region. Venezuelan voters approved the referendum to officially annex the region. Generating tension among Latin American neighbors, this area is home to offshore oil reserves with high market value for exploitation. Containing more than 61,600 square miles and home to approximately 125,000 inhabitants, it is one of the least populated areas in the world. Recently, this conflict came to the forefront of international dispute due to the possibility of protruding economic interests because of the newly discovered oil. President Nicolas Maduro released orders to explore the region and exploit oil, gas, and mines the day after the referendum. However, certain cohorts point to extremely low voter turnout and fraud as reasons to approach the referendum with a sense of caution. 

Colonial Roots

The Dutch were the first European colonizers in the region during the seventeenth century, leading to the creation of Dutch Guiana among other established settlements in the Essequibo region. This area was strategic for economic opportunities and an abundance of natural resources. When other European powers began to assert themselves within the area, the Dutch faced a formidable challenge. Most notably, the British with their own imperial goals. Through this, the British managed to gain ascendancy over Dutch Guiana, now known as British Guiana. After consolidating their control over the area, territorial boundaries were often ill-defined and challenged, reaching into areas simultaneously claimed by Venezuela. 

Sovereign Limits

Amidst growing concerns, contention over the area began in 1841 when the Venezuelan government disputed the Schomburgk Line between Venezuela and British Guiana (the colony that later was renamed Guyana after independence in 1966) which gave the United Kingdom control over the mouth of the Orinoco River. This line was a demarcation proposed by German explorer and surveyor Robert Schomburgk in 1840 as a suggestion for the boundary. What separated this conflict from others was that colonizers drew the lines instead of the territories, making historical claims to the land harder to define. A British expedition was then set forth to decipher the borders of Guyana, which at the time was a territory purchased by the British from the Netherlands. Venezuela claimed that its borders reached as far east as the Essequibo River rooting from its time as a Spanish colony. Gold was discovered in the disputed territory in the late nineteenth century, escalating tensions over who owned the land. British colonization within the region laid the groundwork for the Venezuela-Guyana territorial disputes that occur today.

As an attempt to mitigate discord, the British offered Venezuela the entire mouth of the Orinoco River along with adjacent lands as long as the British were able to uphold the rights to the lands east that extended to the Essequibo River. Failing to agree, the parties submitted to international arbitration encouraged by the United States. Exchanges between the United Kingdom and Venezuela resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Washington in 1897 where a Paris-based panel ruled that the Essequibo territory belonged to British Guiana. The Venezuelan government was dissatisfied with the offered demarcation lines, arguing for the decision to be nullified as its government was not present and instead represented by the United States throughout the arbitration. 

In the middle of the depths of the Cold War in 1962, when Venezuela had heightened power with the formation of OPEC in 1960 they released a statement before the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations refusing to recognize the previously established boundaries. Both countries failed to negotiate an accord as each claimed the other violated territorial sovereignty multiple times in the Essequibo Region.

Four years later, Guyana was bestowed independence.

During the late twentieth century, Venezuelan foreign policy was dictated by incentives for oil exploitation and an integrationist project that let relations with Guyana disseminate. The dispute sparked again in 2015 when oil and gas were discovered in the Stabroek Block that fell within the Essequibo Region. The offshore reserves hold strategic significance, heightening tensions of the longstanding border dispute. The implications of the possible annexation by Venezeuala for access to additional oil in the offshore Stabroek reserve raise concerns about the regional stability of the area, highlighting the intricate interplay of energy interests in the ongoing dispute.

Later through official announcements in January of 2021, the Guyana Ministry of Foreign Affairs released information about the interception of Venezuelan naval vessels in the surrounding maritime area of Guyana's EEZ and Contiguous Zone. The Venezuelan government then made similar historical border claims about the Essequibo region and the Guyanese government claimed that the vessels were carrying out hydrocarbon studies in the offshore oil block. The oil is located within the country’s exclusive zone away from international waters. After the discovery of these offshore oil deposits in 2015, Venezuela released a referendum as well as instructing the state oil company, PDVSA, to start planning for the extraction of oil in the Essequibo Region and end all offshore oil contracts granted by Guyana. 

The Venezuela-Guyana border conflict remains a contentious issue with wide-ranging ramifications for these countries and the international community alike. From original Dutch colonies to British Guiana, the controversial Schomburgk Line of the late 19th century, arbitration in 1899 to establish the modern-day borders, Maduro’s actions, and the consultative referendum by Venezuelan citizens, the underlying factors fueling tensions over the years continue to make a permanent resolution more challenging. As both countries continue to seek diplomatic routes and international mediation to resolve their territorial claims, cooperation will be essential in finding mutual, lasting agreement.