A military helicopter carrying five senior Guyanese officials plus two crew members disappeared in stormy weather near Guyana's disputed border with Venezuela on Wednesday, after the former British colony's president said he had called in the United States, United Kingdom and the UN for their safety from the 'outlaw nation'.
Venezuela held a referendum on Sunday asking their citizens whether they wanted to revive historic claims to a region of Guyana rich in minerals and oil.
President Nicolas Maduro announced that his country overwhelmingly believed the territory – Essequibo – belonged to Venezuela, and on Tuesday he unveiled for official government purposes a new map showing two-thirds of Guyanese territory annexed to Caracas.
The Guyanese Army on Wednesday deployed a brand new Bell 412 EPI aircraft to the border area, with the five senior officials on board.
It refueled at the Olive Creek settlement in western Guyana, then took off and disappeared into the remote jungle area.
Venezuelan troops are seen mobilized in the border area, standing behind a map showing Guyanese territory annexed to Venezuela
The brand new Bell 412 helicopter, similar to this one, disappeared during a storm on Wednesday
Army chief Brigadier General Omar Khan said there was no evidence the helicopter was shot down by their sabre-rattling neighbor to the north.
“We have no information indicating that Venezuelan aircraft have flown in that area,” Khan said.
'Speculation is not what I want to get into. Our priority is to save the lives of our officers and ranks.”
He said the U.S. government will help with the search when it resumes Thursday.
Guyana's President Irfaan Ali said on Tuesday evening that he had raised the issue of the “dangerous developments” with allies including the United States, Brazil – which borders both Guyana and Venezuela – and the United Kingdom.
Irfaan Ali, the President of Guyana, will address the nation on Tuesday evening
Guyana was a British territory until independence in 1966 and remains a member of the Commonwealth – the only Commonwealth country in South America and the only English-speaking country.
Ali said Maduro's threat to annex two-thirds of his country, an area the size of Florida, was a blatant violation of international law.
“This is a direct threat to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Guyana, and a violation of fundamental principles of international law,” Ali said in an address to the nation on Tuesday evening.
Venezuela has claimed Guyana's Essequibo region for more than 100 years, since the current country's border was drawn in 1899.
Their interest has been revived by the discovery of oil in the remote jungle area.
On December 1 – two days before the Venezuelan referendum – the UN tribunal, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), warned Venezuela to “refrain from any action that would change the situation currently prevailing” in the Essequibo region.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro is seen Tuesday holding up his new map of the region, which shows Guyana Esequiba, a region the size of Florida, under Venezuelan control
Alexis Rodríguez Cabello, left, applauds as Maduro sent him to Tumeremo on Tuesday to lead the Esequiba operation from the jungle border town
Venezuela published this new map on Tuesday, showing Esequiba under Venezuelan control
Ali said Venezuela had ignored the International Court of Justice's demand.
“The announced measures are in flagrant disregard of the orders of the International Court of Justice dated December 1, 2023,” Ali said.
“Guyana considers this an immediate threat to its territorial integrity and will intensify precautionary measures to protect its territory.”
He accused Maduro of “openly defying the order of the International Court of Justice” and accused Venezuela of being “an outlaw nation.”
“By defying the courts, Venezuela has rejected international law; the fundamental justice and morality of the rule of law in general; and the maintenance of international peace and security,” he said.
“They literally declared themselves an outlaw nation.”
Ali said Maduro was “testing the mettle of the International Court of Justice.”
“He has followed a lonely and worrying path by neglecting his responsibility as a member of the UN family,” Ali said.
“An adventurous and reckless path, which can only bring instability to this region and create more uncertain conditions for the Venezuelan people.”
He concluded: “We urge President Maduro to reconsider these steps and act in action and in accordance with international law.
“We want nothing: our only ambition is that this region remains a zone of peace and that Guyana's territorial integrity is respected. We ask for nothing more and nothing less.'
The Venezuelan government condemned Ali's statement and accused Guyana of acting irresponsibly and giving the US Southern Command the green light to invade the Essequibo region.
Venezuela's defense minister tweeted a video of the army preparing for battle, waving flags that read “Guyana Esequiba,” colored in the Venezuelan flag
A sign 'Guyana Esequiba', in the colors of the Venezuelan flag
Venezuela called on Guyana to put aside its “erratic, threatening and risky behavior.”
The Venezuelan army, backed by Russia, Iran and Cuba, far outnumbers tiny Guyana: the Venezuelan army has 123,000 active soldiers, compared to just 3,400 for Guyana, according to an analysis in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
Guyana is also overshadowed by Venezuela in terms of weaponry, with Venezuela having 514 armored vehicles, compared to just six that Guyana possesses.
But military analysts point out that decades of mismanagement by the struggling socialist regime have significantly weakened Venezuela's capacity.
Igor Gielow, a military expert cited by the newspaper, said only about half of the fleet of 24 Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets are considered fit to fly.
“But even as a paper tiger, Venezuela is a colossus compared to Guyana,” Gielow said.
King Charles is seen with Guyana's President Irfaan Ali (left) and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at the COP28 Climate Change Summit in Dubai last week
He said the logistics of an invasion would be complicated.
“Much of the 800-kilometer border between Venezuela and Esequiba is dense jungle, impenetrable except for small units,” he said, adding that it was impossible to use armored vehicles in the swampy tropical terrain.
“The most logical option for dictator Nicolas Maduro is a combination of an airstrike on Esequiba's few urban centers and an amphibious landing in the Caribbean,” he said.
Such an attack would provoke a strong international response, likely led by Brazil, which borders both Venezuela and Guyana and whose military is significantly larger and more professional than that of either country.
In late November, Brazil's Defense Ministry said it has “intensified defensive actions” along the northern border.
'The Ministry of Defense is monitoring the situation. Defensive actions have intensified in the country's northern border area, encouraging an increased military presence,” the report said in a statement.