Venezuela: US Threatens Military Intervention in Essequibo Dispute

Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—While the navy of the US empire has been conducting joint military exercises with Guyana, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has issued a stark warning that Washington intends to intervene militarily if Venezuela were to take action to defend its territorial claims. This follows Venezuela’s warning reports of the illegal operations of ExxonMobil-operated ships in the disputed Essequibo waters, discovered by a Coast Guard patrol several weeks ago.

Rubio, during a three-nation Caribbean tour aimed at advancing US regime-change efforts in Venezuela and Cuba, vowed this Thursday, March 27, that the US entity would have a forceful response if Venezuela “attacks Guyana or ExxonMobil,” adding bluntly, “it would not end well for them. It would be a very bad day for Venezuela.”

After meeting Guyanese President Irfaan Ali in Georgetown, Rubio framed Venezuela’s territorial claims as illegitimate, accusing its government of being a “narco-trafficking regime” and threatening “consequences for adventurism and aggressive actions.”

The threat came days after a Venezuelan patrol vessel warned about the illegal operation of ships supporting ExxonMobil’s offshore operations, including the Prosperity FPSO: a floating facility producing 250,000 barrels of oil daily for Guyana’s booming energy sector. Venezuela argues the FPSO operates in undelimited international waters, in violation of international law.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned Guyana’s collaboration with ExxonMobil, calling it a “colonial corporation” exploiting disputed territory. He also criticized a new US-Guyana security pact, signed by Rubio during his visit, which boosts intelligence sharing and military cooperation: a move analysts compare to agreements Washington forged with Ukraine.

President Maduro reaffirmed Venezuela’s sovereignty over Essequibo, stating the region was “drawn on the map by our liberator Simón Bolívar,” and accused the US empire of prioritizing ExxonMobil’s interests over legal territorial processes.

President Maduro Promises to Confront Guyana’s Illegal Activities in Undelimited Waters

US military buildup
The US and Guyanese naval alliance has deployed the patrol vessel GDFS Shahoud and cruiser USS Normandy to the region for ongoing exercises, demonstrating direct interventionist military support for Guyana.

Venezuelan response: defiance and diplomacy
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil condemned and dismissed Rubio’s threats on Thursday itself, calling them predictable “bravado from a self-conscious man who thinks he can intimidate sovereign nations.”

In a statement, Gil made a number of declarations:

“Venezuela does not yield to intimidation or blackmail by those who believe inflammatory speeches can rewrite history. The children of Simón Bolívar fear no one.”
“We are a peaceful nation. We will defend our rights through reason and legitimacy, not conflict. But we will not let foreign powers distort the reality of Essequibo: a territory that is and will always be Venezuelan, recoverable only under the 1966 Geneva Agreement.”
“Keep your noses out of this dispute! This will not become a battleground for ExxonMobil’s greed or the US military-industrial complex.”

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

OT/JRE/AU