Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan has warned that both Guyanese citizens and Venezuelan nationals can face consequences like arrest and/or deportation if they participate in Venezuela’s upcoming elections in the Essequibo region.
His warning comes amid ongoing tensions over Venezuela’s plans to hold regional elections, including in areas it claims as part of a new state that encompasses the Essequibo. The elections are set for May 25.
Brigadier Khan, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, made it clear that participation in the elections will not be tolerated. “As part of my visit along the border I made an announcement that any Guyanese should participate in such an election, there will be implications for that person,” he said.
He also issued a firm warning to Venezuelans living in Guyana. “If we have knowledge of it, we will arrest you and deport you. Venezuelans, you can’t vote in a country of yours and come to our country and believe that everything will be okay, no,” Khan stated.
Brigadier Khan called on citizens to support the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) by reporting any such activities.
The Guyana-Venezuela border controversy case concerning the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that determined the land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Despite the case still being heard, Venezuela announced plans back in January to elect a governor and legislative council of “Guayana Esequiba State”, which is the name Venezuela, has given to Guyana’s Essequibo region. Guyana later made a submission to the ICJ seeking additional provisional measures to refrain Venezuela from conducting or preparing to conduct elections in the contested territory.
The ICJ, in a decision issued on May 1, reaffirmed earlier provisional measures prohibiting Venezuela from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the contested territory. The court ruled that Venezuela must refrain from conducting elections or preparing to conduct elections in the Essequibo region, which Guyana currently administers and over which it exercises control.
