Aerial shot of the Essequibo River, part of the region disputed over by Venezuela and Guyana. Photo: Jon Williams/file photo.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela accused the government of Guyana of carrying out a new smear campaign and alerted the international community that Guyana is trying to fabricate a false narrative of tensions through the irresponsible dissemination of alleged armed incidents at the border to play the victim.
In a statement released by the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry on Saturday, May 30, the Venezuelan government emphasized that Guyana’s claims regarding alleged violent incidents on the Cuyuni River lack verifiable evidence, and it appears to be part of a recurring pattern by Guyanese authorities to create artificial scenarios of regional tension.
The Venezuelan government noted that these types of media manipulations seek to portray Guyana as a victim in the eyes of multilateral organizations. The statement added that these false flag operations attempt to discredit Caracas and favor the interests of transnational corporations instead of trying to resolve the legitimate territorial dispute between the two countries over the Essequibo territory.
On Friday, Guyanese authorities had reported that one soldier had been wounded following a gunfight with armed men in Venezuela along the shared border, without directly blaming Venezuelan soldiers.
The Guyana Defense Force reported in a statement that a patrol boat on the Cuyuni River came under fire late Friday, without specifying the source or nature of the alleged attack.
The incident is the latest in a series of several similar clashes in recent years, as tensions remain high over Venezuela’s defense of its rights over the Essequibo territory amid recent years of tension with US imperialism.
The two countries appeared earlier this month before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague to present their arguments in a dispute over a 160,000-square-kilometer territory rich in natural resources, where transnational oil and mining corporations have high interests.
Venezuela does not recognize the ICJ’s jurisdiction to rule on the territorial dispute, considering Guyana’s decision to request its intervention as a violation of the 1966 Geneva Agreement that was agreed upon by all parties to resolve the dispute.
The Venezuelan statement claims that it is revealing that the allegations coincided with recent legal proceedings in the territorial dispute and the admitted involvement of foreign intelligence agencies in previous similar incidents. For the Venezuelan government, these statements demonstrate a worrying attempt to artificially internationalize a strictly bilateral situation, with the support of Western powers.
Venezuela urged Guyana to abandon the confrontational agendas promoted by the US Southern Command, while reaffirming its historic commitment to regional peace and to strict compliance with the 1966 Geneva Agreement. Venezuela ratified that said treaty constitutes the only valid legal instrument to achieve a practical and satisfactory solution regarding the border dispute.
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The full text of the Venezuelan statement reads:
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela denounces before the international community the new manipulation campaign promoted by the government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, aimed at fabricating a false narrative of conflict through the irresponsible dissemination of alleged armed incidents that occurred in some segments of the Cuyuni River, without presenting a single verifiable piece of evidence to support its accusations against Venezuela.
This practice is part of a recurring pattern that Venezuela has exposed on previous occasions, whereby Guyanese authorities seek to construct artificial scenarios of tension and promote false flag operations with the aim of playing the victim, discrediting Venezuela, and favoring interests unrelated to the territorial dispute over the Essequibo region.
It is particularly revealing that these accusations have arisen in conjunction with recent legal actions related to the territorial dispute, as well as statements by the Guyanese authorities themselves regarding the involvement of international allies and foreign intelligence mechanisms in the handling of these alleged incidents, demonstrating a worrying attempt to artificially internationalize a bilateral issue.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically condemns these provocative maneuvers and raises alarm about the risks of manufacturing reckless accusations based on speculation, media fabrications, and politically motivated narratives, incompatible with the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect, and peaceful settlement of disputes.
Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to peace and to the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid instrument to achieve a practical and satisfactory solution for both parties regarding the territorial dispute over the Essequibo region.
Caracas, May 30, 2026
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SC
