Maduro Releases New Map Of Venezuela, Claiming Essequibo Region

  • In what can only be described as an act of aggression by Venezuela's President Nicholas Maduro, on Tuesday night he declared a new map of Venezuela incorporating the Essequibo Region of Guyana. This occurred after the nation's Sunday referendum, in which his government declared the annexation of Essequibo as a part of Venezuela a success.
  • In a Facebook post Maduro declared, "I ordered to immediately publish and take all schools, lyceums, municipal councils, public establishments, universities and in all homes of the country the new map of Venezuela with our Guayana Esequiba. This is our believed map!"
  • Following Maduro's social media proclamation, Dr. Irfaan Ali, the President of Guyana, addressed the Guyanese people assuring them that he and his administration will resolutely protect the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
  • "I address you on an unsettling development in relation to the unlawful claim by Venezuela to Guyana’s Essequibo Region, which constitutes more than two-thirds of Guyana’s national territory. As I made clear from the date the referendum was first announced, this is a direct threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence, and in violation of fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the UN and OAS Charters," said Ali
  • Ali confirmed that Guyana would be bringing the matter to the United Nations Security Council for appropriate action to be taken by that body. He added," Further, we have engaged CARICOM, the OAS, the Commonwealth and many of our bilateral partners including the United States of America, Brazil, the United Kingdom and France.
  • The Guyana Defence Force is on full alert and has engaged its military counterparts including the US Southern Command. “By defying the Court, Venezuela has rejected international law, the rule of law generally, fundamental justice and morality, and the preservation of international peace and security. They have literally declared themselves an outlaw nation," Ali said.

(Source: Trinidad Express Newspaper)