Indigenous Venezuelans chant ‘Essequibo is ours’ in front of military helicopter
Striking footage has been shared of Indigenous Venezuelans side by side with army personnel, chanting ‘Essequibo is ours’ in response to a referendum over claiming the disputed territory, held on Sunday.
Venezuelan voters have overwhelmingly backed the country’s claim to Essequibo, a region long-controlled by Guyana. Over 95% of voters backed establishing a new Venezuelan state in the territory, which was awarded in 1899 to Britain, who then controlled Guyana.
The 159,500-sq-km (61,600-square-mile) region makes up two thirds of the total of the land currently controlled by Guyana, and has been the cause of rising tensions in recent years, not least since the 2015 discovery of oil in Essequibo waters. This was exacerbated by Guyana holding an auction this year for oil drilling rights.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hailed the result as an ‘overwhelming victory,’ adding that ‘we have taken the first steps of a new historic stage in the struggle for what belongs to us, to recover what the liberators left us.’
Guyana’s president, meanwhile, has reassured citizens that their government will defend the territory, and that there is ‘nothing to fear,’ while the International Court of Justice has warned Venezuela not to take any action towards claiming Essequibo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Freedom over censorship, truth over narrative.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RTnews
Follow us on Telegram: https://t.me/rtnews
Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/RT_com
-
2:02
Mind Over Media
4 months agoThe Venezuela Guyana Conflict
27 -
9:08
Reganelite
2 months agoVenezuela's parliament approves creation of state in disputed oil-rich Essequibo
22 -
2:02
B.C. Begley
3 months agoVenezuela Deploys Military to Oil-Rich Guyana’s Border
92 -
37:52
Scott Alan Miller Living in Nicaragua
5 months ago#Venezuela Votes to Annex #Essequibo from #Guyana | Understanding the History & Context of the #News
4 -
1:00
Flags of South America
5 months agoFlag of Venezuela
4 -
1:43
NewsVids
5 months agoVenezuela Votes To Claim Region In Oil-Rich Guyana, Raising Fears Of Conflict
21 -
11:38
MaryGreeley
5 months agoAnother US War? U.S. Military Drills With Guyana Amid Dispute Region With Venezuela
137 -
8:59
Based Gamer
5 months agoSocialist Venezuelan President Maduro Claiming Oil Rich Region In Guyana, Now Venezuelan Territory
16 -
1:00
Flags of South America
5 months agoFlag of Ecuador
11 -
1:01
B.C. Begley
22 days agoUS announces military exercise in Guyana and Venezuela responds: “Threat to regional peace”
84