Venezuela says US building 'secret' bases in disputed Essequibo
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused the United States of building secret military bases in Essequibo, an oil-rich region of Guyana that Caracas claims as its territory.
We have information proving that in the territory of Guyana Essequibo, temporarily administered by Guyana, secret military bases of the (US) Southern Command... a body of the CIA, have been installed, Maduro said.
He said the bases are an aggression against the people of southern and eastern Venezuela and were built to prepare for an escalation against Venezuela.
- He also claimed that his counterpart, President Irfaan Ali, does not govern Guyana and that Guyana is governed by the Southern Command, the CIA and ExxonMobil.
Southern Command, part of the Department of Defense, maintains a US Security Cooperation Office in Guyana.
The office serves as a military consultant to the Guyana Defense Force, coordinating security cooperation engagement activities and providing military support and training.
- The dispute over Essequibo -- which makes up about two-thirds of Guyana's territory and has been administered by Guyana for more than a century -- intensified in 2015 after the discovery of oil deposits by US-based energy giant ExxonMobil.
Both countries pledged last year not to use force to settle the border dispute, which is currently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
(2024/04/04 18:12)
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