As the Venezuela Guyana Border Controversy heightens, the office of the United Nations Secretary General has announced that it has alerted the UN Security Council – the UN enforcement agency – to the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the subsequent threats, actions and statements by Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro to invade, annex, exploit and impose a citizenship plan for Guyanese and others living in the Essequibo district of Guyana.
The UN Security Council and CARICOM – the Caribbean Economic Community – are scheduled to meet in separate emergency sessions on Friday December 8, 2023 to consider their responses to Venezuela’s stated intents and actions and potential repercussions.
Already, international and inter regional blocs – CARICOM, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and Commonwealth have condemned Maduro’s actions and statements. (Read On for Details Below).
Forced Citizenship Plan
The Essequibo district is being claimed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who on December 5, 2023 issued a new map of Venezuela that pushes the Venezuelan border into two thirds of Guyana’s territory known as the Essequibo Region. He also announced a plan of action to annex, occupy, exploit and give citizenship and passports to Guyanese resident in the region and immediately solicit bids for exploration for mineral wealth in the illegally claimed territory.
Defiance of ICJ Provisional Order
Maduro’s pronouncements and actions are in direct defiance of a provisional order of the United Nations International Court of Justice on December 3, 2023, that Venezuela ‘refrain from taking any action that currently exists in the territory under dispute” that will disrupt the status quo and jurisdiction of Guyana over the Essequibo Region and “modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”
Globally Binding Decisions
Decisions of the ICJ are binding to its members. Both Venezuela and Guyana are members of the United Nations, pledged to and bound by the United Nations Charter and Statutes of the International Court of Justice, as are all members of the UN. That is, members are required under international law to collectively adhere to decisions of the ICJ and other organs of the United Nations whose instruments they ratify.
However, Maduro has lashed out at the ICJ, CARICOM and the OAS condemning their stance on the issue, in continuous refusal to adhere to the ICJ’s provisional order to respect the existing status quo of Guyana’s existing boundaries and jurisdiction, until the substantive matter of declaration of the legality of the 1899 agreement between Spain and Britain as requested by Guyana is decided by the ICJ.
Ricocheting Social and Border Crises in LAC from Maduro Regime
‘If those born in Essequibo do not want to register as Venezuelans… they must leave our national territory Essequibo!’
That is a social media post of a supporter of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) from a poster @Patria8Querida (love of country) on posts under the banner Venezuela Apoya a los BRICS+100%/Venezuela supports BRICS-plus 100% with a profile ID of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maduro.
BRICS is a global bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and others who work together to deepen ties and economic cooperation.
Displacement of People
Similar sentiments are being expressed by sporadic posters from Venezuela across social media from Maduro’s actions, threatening social displacement to hundreds of persons, villagers and communities who identify as Guyanese and others who are residents or who have sought refuge in Guyana’s Essequibo district. (Read on, See below for details)
Loyalty to Guyana
Over the past weeks, thousands of Guyanese and communities along the Essequibo have asserted their loyalty to Guyana and its President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, with strong messages of ‘We do not want Maduro’ and ‘Essequibo is We Own,’ to the strains of popular the Shanto-Calypso Not A Blade of Grass by Guyana music icon, Dave Martins and the Tradewinds band.
The displacement of peoples is one of the ramifications BRICS and other geo-political blocs as the 22-member CARICOM – the Caribbean Economic Community, 35-member Organisation of American States (OAS), 27-member European Union (EU), the 56-member Commonwealth and the 193-member United Nations and others need to consider in responses to the planned actions of the maverick territorial grab being attempted by Venezuela’s President Maduro.
Already, more than 7.7 million people have left Venezuela in search of protection and a better life. The majority – more than 6.5 million people – have been hosted in Latin American and Caribbean countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Expanding Social Disruptions in LAC from Venezuelan Crises under Maduro
The social media post by @Patria8Querida, ‘Venezuela Supports BRICs-plus 100%’ is indicative of and instructive of an expanding arena of social disruption ricocheting through the Latin American and Caribbean region under Maduro’s leadership.
The region is already under severe strain with major disruptions occurring at borders and within societies as countries try to accommodate millions of Venezuelan refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing from social, economic and political conditions created by Maduro’s Regime. Guyana, whose lands Maduro is attempting to invade, continues to offer a friendly and helping hand to Venezuelans in distress, Guyana’s President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his administration has repeatedly stated.
Escalating Venezuelan Refugee & Displacement Crises in LAC
UN agencies record almost 8 million of Maduro’s people of Venezuela have fled to other countries over the last few years, seeking asylum and refuge.
This represents close to ten percent of the 120 million-plus people worldwide who the United Nations Refugee Agency report as forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and disturbing events and in need of the UN’s protection.
Apart from the numbers tabulated by the UN Refugee Council, the UN Human Rights Commission reports that at the end of 2022, there were more than five million other people in need of international protection, predominantly from Venezuela.
The figures for 2023 is yet to be released, but the 2022 figure represents a 17 percent increase over 2021. It points to every two of five new asylum seekers of Latin America and the Caribbean come Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
What that may mean for 2024 figures if Maduro’s pursue actions and threats that follow on interpretations of the fate of hundreds of Guyanese citizens, residents and asylum seekers therein lies in the hands of our regional leaders..
Failed Petro-State
Many Venezuelans brave the treacherous terrain to escape the harsh conditions and poverty from badly managed resources and wealth created by Maduro’s and his predecessor’s leadership to the point of being listed by global economic analysts as a failed petro-economy.
Heightened Regional Insecurity
Maduro’s eyes and actions to grab the potential oil and other mineral resources of Guyana can only spell insecurity not just the people of Guyana and those whom Guyana has offered shelter as it does for the innovative initiatives for sustainable development that Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and his administration have been unfolding to set Guyana on a new path for development, but also for the region held together by tenuous post colonial ties.
Other Neighbour Borders Under Threatened
The numbers of Venezuelan asylum-seeks trekking through its neighbours’ borders – Colombia estimated at 2.5 million, Peru at nearly one million, and Ecuador of more than half a million, with lesser numbers into Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries have put tremendous strain, challenging social management.
As any newly introduced peoples to a society, they not only compete for limited resources but also enhance vulnerabilities to narcotics, guerilla groups and human traffickers. Some have been forced to return to face the conditions they flee.
Guyana, has been one of the Venezuela neighbour nations to open its arms to Venezuelans in distress,
Lure of Wealth
As Maduro holds up the lure of more wealth from his threatened annexation and exploitation of Guyana’s resources, the international community must sit up and take note. The corporations which he is ‘inviting bids’ must think twice about their support for what has been called Maduro’s madness.
The region also needs prompt and decisive actions from its leaders and other social actors to ensure that its stability and peace remain in tact.
History would not be kind to those who stand in alliance for another travesty of exploitation.
Report on Venezuela Refugee Crisis by UN Human Rights Commission/UN Refugee Agency
“We left everything in Venezuela. We don’t have a place to live or sleep and have nothing to eat.”
Venezuelan who fled, Seeking Refuge from Neighbouring Country
Despite some spontaneous returns of Venezuelan nationals to their country of origin, the outflow of Venezuelan refugees and migrants to neighbouring countries and beyond persists. The number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela has surpassed 7 million globally, according to data from governments. A significant number of them are in need of international protection and humanitarian assistance.
While host communities and countries in the region are committed to helping Venezuelans and have been generously welcoming them, they are increasingly overstretched. Several countries are implementing large-scale regularization processes to ensure refugees and migrants are documented and have access to rights and services. However, these efforts and gestures of solidarity require financial support to succeed and ensure no one is left behind.
Most refugees and migrants from Venezuela arriving in neighbouring countries are families with children, pregnant women, elderly people, and people with disabilities.
Many are facing poverty and struggling to survive, according to the latest needs assessment carried out by UNHCR and partners from the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V).
Increased Vulnerability – Survival Sex, Begging, Debt
The spiralling cost of living, fallout from the COVID-19 emergency, and high unemployment rates have increased the vulnerability of Venezuelan refugees and migrants and have made it difficult for many to rebuild their lives and integrate into host societies across the region. Half of all refugees and migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean cannot afford three meals a day and lack access to safe and dignified housing. To access food or avoid homelessness, many Venezuelans resort to survival sex, begging or indebtedness.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still represent difficulties for socio-economic integration, pushing Venezuelans deeper into poverty. Many families, forced to reduce their food intake, have taken on debts to survive. They are at risk of eviction, exploitation, and protection risks.
Economic hardships and political instability in some countries and increasing competition for jobs and limited access to public services have led to cases of discrimination and xenophobia.
Extremely low salaries further hinder the ability of Venezuelan refugees and migrants to support themselves and their families. Many refugee and migrant children still face multiple obstacles to accessing education services in their host countries, notably due to the lack of enrolment slots or space in schools. Those who lack documentation, livelihoods, and prospects of local integration are resorting to onward movements in search of a safe and sustainable future. Many put their lives at risk by taking extremely dangerous irregular routes.
AI Summary of this Post – Venezuela Threat to Guyana Border can Escalate Refugee Crisis
‘The content discusses the Venezuela-Guyana border controversy and the actions and threats by Venezuelan President Maduro. It also highlights the defiance of the ICJ provisional order and the potential repercussions. The post emphasizes the displacement of people and the escalating Venezuelan refugee and displacement crises in Latin America and the Caribbean. It mentions the failed petro-state of Venezuela, regional insecurity caused by Maduro’s actions, and the strain on neighboring countries. The content warns about the lure of wealth and calls for prompt and decisive actions to ensure stability and peace in the region. It also references a UN report on the Venezuela refugee crisis, describing the vulnerabilities and challenges faced by Venezuelan refugees and migrants.
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About Dr Kris Rampersad
Dr Kris Rampersad is an independent international scholar, award-winning journalist, global thought leader and consultant who straddles spheres of media, culture and education as an expert on integrated sustainable developmental issues of the CARIBBEAN, SIDS, Developing World and the Global South.
A Commonwealth Professional Fellow an Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Foreign Press Centre with a PhD in Pre and Post Colonial Literature, she invented the world’s newest creative genre, the MultiMedia MicroEpic that adopts the long-form classical epic for short-form new media which she piloted to the Commonwealth Scholars Forum at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Her web platform, the GloCaL Knowledge Pot features her developing multimedia expositions of CEIBA-EDUtainment, novel creations that blend education and entertainment for all ages and sectors from pre-school to policy-making through traditional, conventional and new media forms.
Dr Rampersad is a National Geographic Educator, UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Facilitator, Global Woman Techmakers’ Ambassador, Google Digital Skills Ambassador and Small Island Innovators’ Ambassador. Internationally, she has served variously as President of the UNESCO Education Commission, Vice President of UNESCO Programme and External Relations Commission, Vice President and Independent Member of the Consultative Body to the InterGovernmental Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Vice President of the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association. More at https://krisrampersad.com/explore-our-world/who-we-are/dr-kris-rampersad-connecting-glocal-cultures/
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Regional Regeneration for the Digital Age
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