copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 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. [...] the territory named by Venezuela as Guayana Esequiba - "Maduro decreta establecer un nuevo territorio en una rica región en disputa con Guyana". ABC (in Spanish). 8 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2023. [...] Called Guayana Esequiba in Venezuela - "Guyana rejects Venezuela's revived territorial claim | Argus Media". Argus Media. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-11): Leaders of Guyana and Venezuela to meet this week as region worries over their territorial dispute [...] The dispute over Essequibo, which represents two-thirds of Guyana and borders Venezuela, worsened after Venezuela’s Dec. 3 referendum on claiming sovereignty over the region located near massive oil deposits. Venezuela maintains Essequibo was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period, and rejects the border drawn by international arbitrators in 1899, when Guyana was under British rule. Venezuelan officials also argue that a 1966 agreement between their country, Britain and the colony of British Guiana effectively nullified the original arbitration.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-03): Sunday’s referendum will be held over the fate of Essequibo, an oil-rich Guyana-ruled region that Venezuela claims as its own. [...] The referendum will ask Venezuelans five questions, including if they agree with creating a new state called Guayana Esequiba in the Essequibo region, granting its population Venezuelan citizenship as well as identity cards and incorporating that state into the map of Venezuelan territory. [...] The territory larger than Greece, known as "The Essequibo," amounts to more than two-thirds of the territory of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-08): Venezuela claimed more than half of the territory of the British colony of Guyana at the time of the Latin American wars of independence. Guyana argues that the boundary between the nations was clarified in the Arbitral Award of 1899 signed by Guyana, whereas Venezuela called the award an "Anglo-Russian conspiracy".[2] In 1962 Venezuela declared that it would no longer abide by the arbitration decision, which ceded mineral-rich territory in the Orinoco basin to Guyana. The disputed area is called "Guayana Esequiba" by Venezuela. A border commission was set up in 1966 with representatives from Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom, but failed to reach agreement. Venezuela vetoed Guyana's bid to become a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1967. In 1969 Venezuela backed an abortive uprising in the disputed area. [...] - ^ "Venezuelans to vote in referendum on territorial dispute with Guyana, minister says". Reuters. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023. - ^ "Venezuela sets referendum date on territory dispute with Guyana". Reuters. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-14): The leaders of Venezuela and Guyana said Thursday that they would not use force against each other amid a dispute over an oil-rich piece of Guyanese land and agreed to create a joint commission to address the territorial spat. Still, the two countries’ positions on the Essequibo region remained vastly at odds after a day-long summit held on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with a joint declaration issued at its conclusion affirming both Guyana’s view that the dispute should be resolved by the International Court of Justice and Venezuela’s "lack of consent and lack of recognition of the International Court of Justice and its jurisdiction in the border controversy." Tension over the land, which amounts to about two-thirds of Guyanese national territory, has mounted in recent days after a Venezuelan referendum in which voters assented to the creation of a Venezuelan state within the disputed region. Guyana has called the move a step towards annexation and an "existential" threat.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-03-25): Guayana Esequiba is the name Venezuela gives to a region that it claims in the west of Guyana. Its area is 159,500 square kilometers. For Guyana, this area is divided into the six administrative regions of Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo and Essequibo Islands-West Demerara. [...] References [change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Agreement to resolve the controversy over the frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana (Treaty of Geneva, 1966) from UN - ↑ Summary of the Judgement of 18 December 2020 - ↑ Narine Singh, Jai. 1982: Diplomacia o guerra. Análisis de la controversia fronteriza entre Venezuela y Guyana. Eduven. Caracas. 223p. ISBN 84-499-8751-2 - ↑ Cabrera Sifontes, 1988: La verdad sobre nuestra Guayana Esequiba. Monte Ávila Editores, C.A. Caracas. 161p. ISBN 980-01-0202-7 - ↑ González Oropeza, Hermann. y Donis Ríos, Manuel. 1989: Historia de las fronteras de Venezuela. Cuadernos Lagoven. Lagoven, S.A. Caracas. 180p. ISBN 980-259-257-9 - ↑ The Trail of Diplomacy - A Documentary History of the Guyana-Venezuela Border Issue by Dr.Odeen Ishmael http://www.guyana.org/features/trail_diplomacy.html - ↑ Le Monde - Le Venezuela adopte une loi affirmant sa souveraineté sur l’Essequibo, actuel territoire du Guyana https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2024/03/23/le-venezuela-adopte-une-loi-affirmant-sa-souverainete-sur-l-essequibo-actuel-territoire-de-guyana_6223636_3210.html
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-05): Raising of the Guyanese and Venezuelan flags [edit]At the end of November 2023, the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, met with soldiers who guard the border between both countries. In a video released by the government Ali raised the Guyanese flag at an event on the Pakarampa mountain in the Essequibo, near Venezuela's Bolívar state, where he also took an oath of national loyalty.[46] After these acts, the Minister of Defence of Venezuela, Vladímir Padrino López declared that the Venezuelan Armed Forces will be "permanently vigilant" of "any action that threatens" the "territorial integrity", asking the population to vote in the referendum and adding that the conflict "for now" is not a war.[66] The governor of Zulia, Manuel Rosales, claimed that "Guayana Esequiba is one hundred percent Venezuelan territory," arguing that Guyana's actions violated the 1966 Geneva agreement, and criticised the fact that the UN and the OAS did not speak out on the matter.[67] [...] Among the effects of the conflict were the use of force by Venezuela, her sponsoring of a secessionist movement in the Rupununi region of Guyana - González, Pedro (1991). La Reclamación de la Guayana Esequiba. Caracas. [...] - ^ "Engañoso: ¿Reemplazo de la bandera guyanesa por la venezolana ocurrió en el estado Guayana Esequiba?". Cazadores de Fake News. 13 December 2023. Archived from the original on 19 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-07): After the referendum, the government of President Nicolas Maduro announced that the Essequibo would become a fully-fledged state of Venezuela—although Guyana still controls the territory effectively. An administrative centre is being set up in Tumeremo, a town 95km from the de facto border. [...] State of Guayana Esequiba [...] The Venezuelan government is also creating an "Essequibo branch" for the state-owned firms PDVSA—oil—and the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana—a metals conglomerate. Offering exploration and exploitation licenses is not likely to materialise while territorial control remains in the hands of Guyana. However, it is a proportionate response to Georgetown’s actions, as it has done precisely that by allowing foreign firms to survey contested waters and pump its oil.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-09): Tensions escalated in September 2023, when Guyana held an auction for oil exploration licenses. Maduro then heightened the political brinksmanship by scheduling a consultative referendum, which asked Venezuelans whether the country should reject the ICJ’s jurisdiction in the territorial dispute and incorporate Essequibo as a Venezuelan state to be named Guyana Esequiba. On December 1, 2023, two days before the referendum vote, the ICJ prohibited Venezuela from taking action that would change the status quo in Essequibo. Although voter turnout appeared to be low—notwithstanding the National Electoral Council’s claim that more than half of the electorate had participated—the majority of those who did vote endorsed Venezuela’s claim to sovereignty over Essequibo. Maduro followed with an order for the state oil company to issue extraction licenses for Essequibo and proposed that Venezuela’s National Assembly pass a bill to annex the disputed territory.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-08-12): Undeterred, two days after the referendum, Maduro ordered a series of actions that, according to Guyana’s president, is in "full defiance of international law" and is seen as extremely threatening. Maduro created a high commission for the defense of the "new state" of Guayana Esequiba, headed by Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president and a regime stalwart. Maduro ordered the National Assembly to create the state of Guayana Esequiba, established a military zone for the new state, and named General Rodríguez Cabello, previously commanding general of the army, as its sole authority. Further, Maduro ordered the state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), and the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG) to create the PDVSA-Essequibo and CVG-Essequibo divisions, respectively, and to immediately begin granting operating licenses for the exploration of oil, gas, and mines in the new state. Lastly, Maduro ordered that a social care plan for the people living in the disputed territory be implemented, that a census be carried out, and that Venezuelan identity cards be handed out to the inhabitants, among other initiatives.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-07): This week, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro took unprecedented steps to establish control over the contested Essequibo region of neighboring Guyana, violating an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling. Essequibo, a region in western Guyana, accounts for two-thirds of the country’s territory, 16 percent of its population—and, crucially, would give Caracas a claim to offshore oil riches that Guyana recently found and that Venezuela clearly covets. [...] According to the government, more than 95 percent of voters approved all five questions on the referendum, which called for the creation of a new so-called Guayana Esequiba state as well as granting its residents Venezuelan citizenship, providing the population with identity cards, incorporating Essequibo onto Venezuela’s map, and rejecting the 1899 ruling. "A new era in the fight for our Guayana Esequiba has begun," Maduro said in celebration of the results. "Now we will recover Venezuela’s historical rights."
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (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 Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-03): The 159,500-sq-km (61,600-square-mile) region is known as Essequibo and makes up two thirds of the total of the land currently controlled by Guyana. It is home to 125,000 of Guyana's 800,000 citizens. [...] Read more about Guyana: Guyana country profile [...] 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 Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-14): The Venezuelan president said he had ordered a law to be drafted recognising a new state – the Guayana-Esequiba – where the English-speaking residents would be given Venezuelan national ID cards. He also ordered national companies to begin mining and oil extraction operations in the resource-rich region, and for a special military unit to be created for the region, alarming observers and causing Brazil to send armoured vehicles to its border. [...] "I have immediately ordered for it to be published and taken to all schools, colleges, community councils, public establishments, universities and in all homes in the country, the new map of Venezuela with our Guayana-Esequiba. This is our dear map!" he said, presenting the illustration. Venezuela has laid claim to Essequibo since it gained independence from Spain, contesting the borders drawn up with the then British colony, Guyana.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-04): Venezuelans who turned out to vote in a referendum on the status of a disputed oil-rich territory long controlled by Guyana have overwhelmingly backed Venezuela's territorial claim. [...] 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: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 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? [...] This situation is causing concern for Guyana's leaders. Caracas is threatening to deprive its eastern neighbour of more than half of its territory and to make the approximately 200,000 inhabitants of Essequibo Venezuelan citizens. [...] 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.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (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. [...] "What is concerning to us is that Maduro has given specific instructions, all of which speak to the occupation of our Essequibo," Guyana’s foreign minister, Hugh Todd, said. "We interpret those actions as a direct threat to our sovereignty and territorial integrity so we obviously intend to send a strong signal to Venezuela that Guyana will protect its territorial integrity. [...] "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 Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-06-23): In December 2023, the Maduro regime of Venezuela oversaw a referendum about a long-disputed region called the Essequibo, which represents more than two-thirds of neighboring Guyana’s territory.[i] The Essequibo region—roughly the size of the state of Florida—has been administered by Guyana for more than 100 years, according to an arbitral award in Paris in 1899. The Maduro regime announced that 95 percent of Venezuelans who voted approved all five questions on the referendum. This included an explicit rejection of the recent jurisdiction granted to the International Court of Justice upon referral of the case by the UN’s Secretary General, as well as a commitment by the Venezuelan state to recover the territory by all means necessary "within the law."[ii] Accordingly, the first excerpted article from Chilean news outlet La Nación reported that Maduro announced the creation of a new Venezuelan state called Guayana Esequiba, constituted by the territory of Essequibo. Maduro followed the announcement by encouraging state-owned enterprises to exploit the natural resources of the Essequibo area, as well as a small mobilization of troops and equipment near the border.[iii] According to La Nación, this has given rise to the possibility of inter-state conflict, a rare worry in Latin America.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-04): Venezuela argues that Guyana's Essequibo region, also known as Guayana Esequiba, was stolen from it when the border was drawn over a century ago. [...] Venezuelan voters were asked whether they support "the creation of the Guayana Esequiba state" in the 61,600-square-mile disputed territory, and its incorporation into Venezuela. [...] "We have taken the first steps of a new historical stage to fight for our Guayana Esequiba, for peace and to recover what the liberators left us," Maduro said following the announcing of the referendum's results.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (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. [...] 5) Do you agree with the creation of the state of Guyana Esequiba and an accelerated plan to integrate the current and future population of that territory including, among other acts, the provision of citizenship and Venezuelan identification cards, according to the Geneva Agreement and international law, thus incorporating the aforementioned state into the territorial map of Venezuela? [...] 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 Guyana (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. [...] Venezuela’s territorial dispute with neighbouring Guyana is a longstanding one. It is arguably made worse by the news that there might be oil and gas potential in Essequibo – not just on land but also under the seabed. [...] 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.
Claim: Guayana Esequiba is a territory of Guyana (Guayana Esequiba, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-06): Guyana President Irfaan Ali said on Sunday that his country will be present on the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent on Thursday for discussions on where border lines between Guayana and Venezuela should be drawn amid Venezuela claiming Guyana’s Essequibo region belongs to them. [...] 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."