Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has asked the parliament to start creating the state of Guyana-Essequiba, which should become the 24th state of the country. The day before, Venezuelans voted for the region's annexation in a referendum.
Venezuela is going to annex part of Guyana
Maduro announced granting licenses for the exploration and development of natural resources in an area owned by Guyana.
In addition, he asked parliament to enact a law on the "defense of the disputed territory" to start creating the state of Guyana-Essequibo, a comprehensive defense zone on the site, the activation of a census and a social assistance plan for residents.
Maduro also ordered the publication of a new map of Venezuela and distributed it to all schools and universities in the country.
Why Venezuela wants to annex the Essequibo region
On December 3, Venezuelans voted in a referendum for sovereignty over the oil- and mineral-rich territory of neighbouring Guyana, Essequibo, which they claim was stolen from them during the border draw more than a century ago.
It remains unclear how Maduro will enforce the results of the vote. But Guyana sees the referendum as a step toward annexation, and the voice is causing tension among residents.
On December 1, the International Court of Justice ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana's control of Essequibo. Still, the judges did not expressly bar officials from holding the referendum.
Essequibo is a territory with an area of 159,000 square kilometres, which is two-thirds of Guyana and borders Brazil.
Essequibo is more significant than Greece and rich in minerals. It also provides access to the Atlantic region, where energy giant ExxonMobil discovered oil in commercial quantities in 2015, drawing the attention of the Maduro government.
Venezuela has always claimed Essequibo as its own, as the region belonged to it during the Spanish colonial period, and it had long disputed the boundary drawn by international arbitrators in 1899 when Guyana was still a British colony.
