The attack, according to Guyana, took place on the Cuyuni River, in Táquibo, a region rich in oil and minerals disputed by both countries
On Thursday (15) three attacks of armed civilians against their defense force troops (GDF) on the border with A, without reporting injured. The attack, according to Guyana, took place on the Cuyuni River, in Táquibo, a rich oil and mineral region disputed by both countries and where Venezuela plans to elect regional and parliamentary authorities on May 25.
In the last 24 hours, “gunmen with civilian clothes on the Venezuelan coast along the Cuyuni River (…) have launched three separate attacks on Guyana’s defense force troops that made river patrols,” the military man said in a statement. “On each occasion, Guyana’s defense force performed a moderate response, and no official was injured,” he added.
On February 17, Guyana also reported the attack of a Venezuelan gang on the Cuyuni River that left six wounded soldiers. The Venezuelan government qualified the complaint as a farce and the prosecutor announced an investigation.
The military said on Thursday that “they will continue to respond to acts of aggression on the border between Guyana and Venezuela and will maintain regular patrols along the Cuyuni River.”
Venezuela and Guyana maintain a centenary dispute for the 160,000 square kilometers of the Essiquibo region, which intensified in 2015 after the discovery of oil fields by Exxonmobil.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Nátaly Tenório