Venezuela pressure on Guyana continues

The Venezuelan government continues to threaten Guyana in reaction to the neighboring oil producer's recent auction of offshore oil production rights in disputed waters.

Venezuelan attorney general Tarek William Saab said this week he would investigate Guyana and oil companies ExxonMobil, Hess, TotalEnergies and Petronas for taking part in the auction in offshore Essequibo province. For more than 100 years Venezuela and Guyana have fought over the oil-rich Essequibo River region and offshore waters.

Venezuela plans a national vote on 3 December on whether it should exercise what it says are its rights to the region and annex it. Guyana has asked the International Court of Justice to block the vote.

The government has stepped up rhetoric against Guyana and the Organization of American States (OAS) in what some observers say is an effort to distract from the recent opposition primary victory Maria Corina Machado. A court last month tried to suspend her win.

By Carlos Camacho