Brits’ try to spoil in yet another region: Guyana as Venezuela launches war games near contested region.

Brazil has called for “restraint” as tensions flared in a territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana, with Caracas launching a major military exercise near the contested, oil-rich Essequibo region.

“The Brazilian government is following the latest developments in the dispute surrounding the Essequibo region with concern,” said a statement from the foreign ministry on Friday.

“The Brazilian government believes military demonstrations of support to either party should be avoided so that the ongoing dialogue process can produce results.”

A British warship, the HMS Trent, also arrived in Guyana on Friday afternoon amid rising tensions, for open sea defence exercises in its former colony.

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The UK’s defence ministry has said that the ship is visiting Guyana as part of a series of engagements in the region and that the vessel will conduct training exercises with Guyana’s military.

On its X account, the ship posted photos of sailors welcoming Britain’s ambassador to Guyana and the chief of staff of Guyana’s Defence Force, Brigadier General Omar Khan. They were also hosted at a formal lunch and provided with a tour of the ship’s capabilities.

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Venezuela has for decades laid claim to Essequibo, claiming that the Essequibo river to the region’s east forms a natural border and has historically been recognised as such. President Nicolas Maduro’s government also held a controversial referendum on December 3 in which 95 percent of voters, according to officials, supported declaring Venezuela the rightful owner of Essequibo.

Venezuela threatens to annex 2/3's of Guyana

He has since started legal manoeuvres to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo and ordered the state oil company to issue licences for extracting crude in the region.

Venezuela opposition looks to military to oust Maduro. Dream on | Venezuela  | The Guardian

The rising tensions have raised fears in the region of a potential conflict over the remote area of 160,000 square kilometres (62,000 square miles).

 

However, Guyana, of which Essequibo makes up more than two-thirds and hosts 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens, has administered the territory since the frontiers were determined by an arbitration panel in 1899.

A British warship arrives in Guyana as tensions heat up in border dispute  with Venezuela | KLAS

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has emerged as a peace broker of sorts, determined to prevent the current war of words over the disputed Essequibo region from escalating into something deadlier.

Venezuelan Invasion of Guyana | Venezuela vs Guyana | ArmA 3 World War 3  Machinima - YouTube

“If there’s one thing we don’t want, it’s a war in South America,” he said earlier this month.

 

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