copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-06): Venezuela-Guyana dispute: Maduro mobilizes the army and announces annexation of Essequibo [...] Two days after the referendum on Essequibo, a territory disputed between Venezuela and Guyana, the government of Nicolás Maduro is moving forward to try to enforce what was approved Sunday in a vote that registered almost no participation in the streets but which Chavismo hailed as a victory with 10.4 million voters, reawakening a crisis of credibility in the country’s electoral authorities. In a television appearance Tuesday, Maduro presented a new official map of Venezuela with Essequibo incorporated, without the disputed delimitation, during a Council of State in which he announced a series of measures and upcoming legislation to cement Caracas’ possession of the territory and its resources. Earlier, Maduro had sent a military contingent to Puerto Barima on the Venezuelan Atlantic border, close to the limits of the area under claim. [...] "We want the peaceful rescue of the Guayana Esequiba," said Maduro. "Our Guayana Esequiba has been de facto occupied by the British Empire and its heirs and they have destroyed the area," he added in reference to the agreements made during Hugo Chávez’s presidency, which created PetroCaribe. At the time, Venezuela offered discounted oil to the Caricom countries in exchange for diplomatic support for its Bolivarian revolution. However, in this historical dispute over Essequibo, those countries have traditionally supported Guyana.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-11): Maduro also ordered the national oil company, PDVSA, to begin exploring the region for oil and appointed a deputy of the United Socialist party of Venezuela, Maj Gen Alexis Rodríguez Cabello, as the head of a special military unit overseeing the new state, Guayana Esequiba. [...] Venezuela has never occupied Essequibo, but it has argued that the borders drawn up with what was then British Guiana were the product of corruption. "Our Guayana Esequiba has been de facto occupied by the British empire and its heirs and they have destroyed the area," Maduro said before the referendum, using the Venezuelan name for the region.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-18): On 3 December 2023, Venezuelans will vote on whether their government should reassert a longstanding but vehemently disputed claim over Essequibo (known in Venezuela as Guayana Esequiba), a region of Guyana. At least 25% of the electorate must participate for each provision to be approved. [...] 3) Do you agree with Venezuela’s historical position of not recognizing the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in resolving the territorial controversy over Guayana Esequiba? [...] 5) ¿Está usted de acuerdo con la creación del estado Guayana Esequiba y que se desarrolle un plan acelerado para la atención integral de la población actual y futura de ese territorio, que incluya, entre otros, el otorgamiento de la ciudadanía y cédula de identidad venezolana, conforme al Acuerdo de Ginebra y el Derecho Internacional, incorporando en consecuencia, dicho estado en el mapa del territorio venezolano?
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-08): Guyanese president, Irfaan Ali, appealed to Washington and to the UN after the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, announced that he had taken steps to formalise the incorporation of Essequibo – an oil-rich 160,000sq km region of neighbouring Guyana – as part of Venezuela. [...] The referendum in question was held in Venezuela on December 3. Citizens were asked a series of questions about whether a new province should be established called Guyana Esequiba. According to presidential supporters, 10 million citizens cast their vote with the vast majority in favour of such a proposal. International observers remain deeply sceptical of both voter engagement and the strength of feeling expressed for such a proposal. Either way, Maduro has pushed on with his plan to annex the territory. Venezuelan companies have been encouraged to prepare to enter Guyanese territory. The Venezuelan parliament was tasked with establishing a new licencing framework to authorise such extractive intrusions.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-08): Venezuelans voted on Dec. 3 to implement the creation of a new state — Guayana Esequiba — in territory currently disputed by Venezuela and Guyana. Since then, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has issued a flurry of announcements suggesting that Venezuela will soon move to annex the territory west of the Essequibo River. Shortly after the votes, he designated a general as the sole administrator of Guayana Esequiba state and announced the creation of an Integrated Operational Defense Zone — ZODI Guayana Esequiba — to be headquartered in the border town of Tumeremo. Videos published by a strategic operational commander of the Venezuelan military indicate that land is being cleared near La Camorra to create an airstrip, which he said would serve as a "logistical support point." On Dec. 7, Maduro announced the construction of 120 homes for the "Esequibano-Venezuelan people" in San Martin de Turumban, a small town that sits directly on the disputed border, which may become Venezuela's launch point for additional incursions into Guyana's territory. While Guyana's President Irfaan Ali has stated his military is preparing for the "worst case scenario," the 4,150 soldiers in Guyana's military are too few to secure the entire land border.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-09): The dispute over the Essequibo region—an approximately 160,000 square km stretch of densely forested land that constitutes two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and is home to roughly 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens—stretches back to the 19th century, when Guyana was under colonial rule. Venezuela has laid claim to the Essequibo region since 1841, when it argued that the British Empire had encroached on Venezuelan territory in its acquisition of the territory of then-British Guiana from the Netherlands. It has also challenged the validity of the 1899 Paris Arbitral Award through which the border between Venezuela and British Guiana was decided. [...] In the letter requesting today’s meeting, Ali cited the "Organic Law for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba", which Maduro signed on 3 April. He warned that this action "cements Venezuela’s intent to annex more than two-thirds of Guyana’s sovereign territory and make it part of Venezuela". Maduro described the law as the implementation of the results of the 3 December 2023 referendum. He added that the law "establishes the creation of state number 24, the state of Guayana Esequiba within the political and territorial organization of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela". The law also reiterated Venezuela’s rejection of the validity of the 1899 Paris Arbitral Award and the ICJ’s jurisdiction on the matter.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-06): Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the state’s oil companies to issue extraction licenses in oil-rich Essequibo—increasing tensions between the two countries and reigniting a longstanding territory dispute.This news comes after more than 95% of Venezuelan voters approved a referendum claiming ownership over land—which makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana—with plans to create a new state in the region, though some reports say that voters largely shunned the vote. On Tuesday, Maduro, who is trying to rename the territory Guayana Esequiba, debuted a new map of Venezuela that included the disputed region. "We want the peaceful rescue of the Guayana Esequiba," said Maduro, who also demanded that Guyanese companies working in the territory leave within three months. "Our Guayana Esequiba has been de facto occupied by the British Empire and its heirs and they have destroyed the area." [...] Venezuela has long sought to control Essequibo. Disputes stretch back to 1841, when the Venezuelan government alleged that, in its acquisition of British Guiana (now Guyana) from the Netherlands, the British had encroached on Venezuelan territory. In 1899, the border was decided by an international Tribunal of Arbitration and the region has remained under control of British Guiana and now Guyana for over a century.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-29): In December 2023, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro threatened to annex Essequibo, the territory west of the Essequibo river, which constitutes two thirds of the neighbouring State of Guyana, and incorporate it into Venezuela as Guyana Esequiba. These notes trace the history of the almost 200-year dispute between Venezuela and the British colony of British Guiana (formed from three former Dutch colonies in 1831), which became the independent republic of Guyana in 1966 over the territory between the rivers Orinoco and Essequibo. In October 1899 an arbitration tribunal, before which the United States represented Venezuelan interests, awarded 95% of the disputed territory to Britain. The decision was accepted by Venezuela until 1962, when President Rómulo Betancourt declared the award null and void and resuscitated Venezuela´s claim to sovereignty over Essequibo. The 1966 Geneva Agreement between Venezuela and Britain/Guyana to reach an agreement satisfactory to both sides failed, and no progress on the issue was made during the following decades. With the discovery of oil offshore Essequibo in 2015, Venezuela intensified its claim to the territory. This led eventually to Maduro´s decision in 2023 to take unilateral action.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-01-12): (b) sovereignty over the territory between the Essequibo River, and the boundary established by the 1899 Award and the 1905 Agreement; and (c) the purported creation of the State of ‘Guayana Esequiba’ and any associated measures, including the granting of Venezuelan citizenship and national identity cards. [...] FIFTH: Do you agree with the creation of the Guayana Esequiba State and that an accelerated and comprehensive plan be developed for the present and future population of that territory, including, inter alia, the granting of Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards, in accordance with the Geneva Agreement and International Law, consequently incorporating that State into the map of Venezuelan territory? [...] The Court observes that the fifth question of the referendum refers explicitly to the "creation of the Guayana Esequiba State", as well as "an accelerated and comprehensive plan [to] be developed" for the "granting of Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards" to the population of that territory, consequently incorporating the "[Guayana Esequiba] State into the map of Venezuelan territory". The Court further observes that Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice has confirmed the constitutionality of the questions to be posed in the referendum.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-03): Essequibo: Venezuela votes on claim to Guyana-controlled oil region [...] In 1899, an international arbitral tribunal awarded the area to Britain, which at the time was the colonial power ruling over Guyana, or British Guiana, as it was then known. [...] The fifth question asks for approval for "the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state" and its "incorporation into the map of Venezuelan territory", language particularly objected to by Guyana which says this amounts to the effective "annexation" of territory it currently administers.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-06): Venezuela’s president ordered the creation of a new state called "Guayana Esequiba" on Tuesday, following a controversial Sunday referendum which saw Venezuelan voters approving the annexation of land from neighboring Guyana. The area in question, the densely forested and oil-rich Essequibo region, amounts to about two-thirds of Guyana’s national territory. Venezuela has long claimed the land and dismisses an 1899 ruling by international arbitrators that set the current boundaries. [...] Maduro also signed a "presidential decree" creating the "High Commission for the Defense of Guayana Esequiba.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Venezuela (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-04): More than 95% approved establishing a new Venezuelan state in the territory known as Essequibo, officials said. Guyana, and British Guiana before it, have administered Essequibo for over a century. [...] The most controversial question was the fifth, which asked Venezuelans if they agreed with "the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state" and its "incorporation into the map of Venezuelan territory".
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-13): The Essequibo River (Spanish: Río Esequibo; originally called by Alonso de Ojeda; Río Dulce)[7][8] is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana border, the Essequibo flows to the north for 1,014 km (630 mi) through forest and savanna into the Atlantic Ocean. It has a total drainage basin of 156,828 km2 (60,552 sq mi) and an average discharge of 5,650 m3/s (200,000 cu ft/s). Territory near the river is argued over by Venezuela and Guyana.[9] The river is administered by Guyana after being previously colonized by the British. Historically, Venezuela has claimed the Essequibo River as their most eastern border, though in practice it was under Dutch control.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-10): Venezuelans on Sunday approved a referendum to claim sovereignty over Essequibo, a mineral-rich territory that accounts for two-thirds of Guyana and lies near big offshore oil deposits. Military confrontation appears unlikely for now, but several countries have echoed Guyana’s concerns over an annexation by its neighbor to the west. [...] In 2015, major oil deposits were first discovered off Essequibo’s shore by an ExxonMobil-led consortium, piquing the interest of Venezuela, whose commitment to pursuing the territorial claim has fluctuated over the years. [...] The government claims about 10.5 million people — just over half of eligible voters — cast ballots. It says voters approved rejecting "by all means" the 1899 boundary, turning Essequibo into a state, giving area residents Venezuelan citizenship and rejecting the U.N. court’s jurisdiction over the dispute. But Associated Press journalists and witnesses at voting centers said the long lines typical of Venezuelan elections never formed.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-15): For a century and a half, Guyana and Venezuela have quarreled over Essequibo, a stretch of the Amazon that both countries claim. Guyana has long governed the territory, but Venezuela also claims sovereignty over it, citing maps drawn in colonial times. Last year, Maduro expressed a sudden enthusiasm for seizing Essequibo that took many Venezuelans by surprise. International conglomerates had discovered lots of oil there, but that was in 2015, and in any case, Venezuela, too, has plenty of oil. [...] The disagreements have remained unresolved, but in most minds, Essequibo is and has long been Guyana’s. Most maps, even the CIA’s, say it is. Venezuela’s government has no presence there. Whenever the dispute resurfaced over the following decades, the international media would almost invariably note that Essequibo accounts for two-thirds of the territory of Guyana, suggesting that, yes, it is part of Guyana.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-08): UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting Friday at the request of Guyana following Venezuela’s weekend referendum claiming the vast oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region that makes up a large part of its neighbor. [...] The dispute escalated as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a referendum Sunday in which Venezuelans approved his claim of sovereignty over Essequibo. Maduro has since ordered Venezuela’s state-owned companies to immediately begin exploration in the disputed region. The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area accounts for two-thirds of Guyana. But Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-04): Venezuelan voters were asked whether they support establishing a state in the disputed territory, known as Essequibo, granting citizenship to current and future area residents and rejecting the jurisdiction of the United Nations’ top court in settling the disagreement between the South American countries. [...] The International Court of Justice on Friday ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would alter Guyana’s control over Essequibo, but the judges did not specifically ban officials from carrying out Sunday’s five-question referendum. Guyana had asked the court to order Venezuela to halt parts of the vote. [...] Venezuela’s government promoted the referendum for weeks, framing participation as an act of patriotism and often conflating it with a show of support for Maduro. The country has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and it has long disputed the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899 when Guyana was still a British colony.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-15): Essequibo dispute: Venezuela and Guyana agree not to use force - Published Guyana and Venezuela have agreed to not "use force" to settle their dispute over the oil-rich region of Essequibo. [...] Essequibo, a 160,000 sq-km jungle region, covers two-thirds of the Guyanese territory.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-15): Essequibo dispute: Venezuela and Guyana agree not to use force Guyana and Venezuela have agreed to not "use force" to settle their dispute over the oil-rich region of Essequibo. [...] Essequibo, a 160,000 sq-km jungle region, covers two-thirds of the Guyanese territory.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-03): Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is organising a referendum on Sunday to decide whether to create a new state in the Essequibo territory, an area currently under the control of neighbouring Guyana. Does Caracas have the means for its territorial ambitions, or is it just political grandstanding? [...] The territorial dispute over Essequibo dates back to the colonial era. In 1811, when Venezuela proclaimed its independence, it believed the region was part of its territory. Despite the claims, the United Kingdom, which occupied the territory of present-day Guyana, placed the region under the authority of the British crown. In 1899, an arbitration court ruled in favour of the UK, even though the United States had supported Caracas. [...] If Venezuela were to genuinely attempt to annex Essequibo, "it could destabilise the entire region", says Idler. Countries like Brazil or Uruguay could be forced to choose sides in this territorial conflict.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-02-29): Essequibo is a densely forested region in Guyana that is roughly the size of Florida and home to more than 125,000 of Guyana’s 800,000 citizens. Indigenous Peoples make up the majority of the region's population, sustaining and guarding its rich biodiversity. At the beginning of December 2023, Venezuela held a referendum in which its population rejected the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice over the country's long-standing territorial dispute with neighboring Guyana. Criticized as being politically motivated, the Venezuelan vote would essentially support the annexation of two-thirds of the Guyanese territory for the creation of a new state in the Essequibo region. Guyana’s government has called the move an "existential" threat. [...] On December 14, 2023, the Presidents of Venezuela and Guyana agreed not to resort to force to settle the territorial dispute over the Essequibo region. However, in early February 2024, satellite images showed that Venezuela had expanded its military presence near the border with Guyana.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-21): They offered grateful devotions typical of a harvest festival but also asked for peace for their community amid what they see as an existential threat. Their village, Surama, is part of Guyana’s Essequibo region — a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals that Venezuela claims as its own and whose future it intends to decide Sunday with a referendum. The practical and legal implications of the vote, which among other things calls for turning Essequibo into a Venezuelan state, remain unclear, but the referendum has left area residents on edge. [...] The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area accounts for two-thirds of Guyana. Yet, Venezuela has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and it has long disputed the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899, when Guyana was still a British colony.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-09-27): The Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute is an ongoing territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region, also known as Esequibo or Guayana Esequiba in Spanish (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwaˈʝana eseˈkiβa] ),[1] a 159,500 km2 (61,600 sq mi) area west of the Essequibo River. The territory, excluding the Venezuelan-controlled Ankoko Island, is controlled by Guyana as part of six of its regions,[note 1] based on the 1899 Paris Arbitral Award. It is also claimed by Venezuela as the Guayana Esequiba State.[2][page needed][3][4] The boundary dispute was inherited from the colonial powers (Spain in the case of Venezuela, and the Netherlands and the United Kingdom in the case of Guyana) and has persisted following the independence of Venezuela and Guyana. [...] Venezuela recognises as territory of the new State the one which is located on the east of the right bank of the Essequibo River, and reiterates before the new State, and before the international community, that it expressly reserves its rights of territorial sovereignty over all the zone located on the west bank of the above-mentioned river. Therefore, the Guyana-Essequibo territory over which Venezuela expressly reserves its sovereign rights, limits on the east by the new State of Guyana, through the middle line of the Essequibo River, beginning from its source and on to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Venezuela (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-04): Essequibo: Venezuelans back claim to Guyana-controlled oil region [...] More than 95% approved establishing a new Venezuelan state in the territory known as Essequibo, officials said. [...] The overwhelming support shown by voters had been widely expected as Venezuela's claim of sovereignty over Essequibo has very broad support in the country.