Why Venezuela and Guyana battle over Essequibo territory: summary

What we know?

• Essequibo is a river territory off the coast of Guyana where major discoveries of oil and gas have been made in recent years
• Venezuela claims ownership of the territory which has been under the control of Guyana since 1899 when the Latin nation was a part of the British Empire
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on December 1 told Venezuela to not take any action that will change the current situation
• Venezuelans voted in a referendum to claim jurisdiction over the oil-rich territory on December 3
• President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro on December 5 said he would authorise oil exploration of the territory
• Guyana's President Irfaan Ali said Guyana would report Maduro to the United Nations and the International Court of Justice following comments made on December 5

What they said?

The ICJ in a statement on December 1 said, "Pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative of Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area…Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve." President Nicolás Maduro in a statement after the referendum also said, “We have carried out a political exercise with a capital "P", for Patria; a generous exercise of love for Venezuela. Today, Venezuelans unite, above differences, around political alternatives for our country. One voice: Essequibo is ours.”