The U.S. Southern Command joined in on Guyana joint flight operations Thursday amid tension between Guyana and Venezuela.
Venezuela claiming the Essequibo region of its neighbor may be a “political stunt” via President Nicolás Maduro, but it isn’t being taken lightly, The Washington Post reported.
In addition to the joint flight operations, Venezuela’s referendum spurred a closed-door United Nations Security Council meeting and an international response. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva weighed in, saying he hopes that “common sense prevails, on the side of Venezuela and Guyana,” according to The Associated Press.
According to the U.S. Department of State, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Guyana’s president about the referendum Wednesday.
- “The Secretary reiterated the United States’ call for a peaceful resolution to the dispute and for all parties to respect the 1899 arbitral award determining the land boundary between Venezuela and Guyana,” according to the Department of State.
The history: According to CNBC, Essequibo is a region that makes up two-thirds of Guyana. Oil reserves off its coast make it sought after.
- Some Venezuelans argue that Essequibo was stolen more than a century ago, NBC News reported.
- Essequibo was within Venezuela’s boundaries during the Spanish colonial period. Then the current border was decided in 1899, The Associated Press reported.
- Tensions escalated in 2015, when oil in commercial quantities was discovered in Essequibo, according to The Associated Press.