Essequibo: Maduro says US military bases established in disputed area with Guyana | the world

“We have proven that they have established secret military bases of the Southern Command, centers of the Southern Command and centers of the CIA in the territory of Guyana Essequiba temporarily administered by Guyana,” the Venezuelan president said.

According to Maduro, the sites were designed to “prepare aggression against the people of the south and east of Venezuela and prepare for an escalation against Venezuela.”

The Act contemplated the creation of the state of Guyana Essequiba, which was to be governed from the town of Tumeremo. The municipality is located in the Venezuelan state of Bolivar, 100 kilometers from Essequibo.

“President Irfan [Ali] Did not rule Guyana. The Guyana Southern Command is administered by the CIA and ExxonMobil, I am not exaggerating. They control the Congress, the two parties that make up the majority, the government and the opposition, they completely control the Guyanese security forces, the police forces,” Maduro said.

Following the approval of the law on March 21, Guyana expressed “grave concern” over what it considered a “blatant violation of its sovereignty”.

The century-old dispute over the Essequibo intensified after US company ExxonMobil discovered oil reserves in 2015.

Tensions rose after the vote, raising regional concerns about possible escalation.

Two weeks after the consultation, Presidents Ali and Maduro met in their first tête-à-tête, in which both governments agreed not to use force to resolve the dispute or threats.

In March of this year, Maduro and Ali participated in a meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (SELAC) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where Venezuela urged a “peaceful solution.”

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