copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-07): A border feud has been spiraling over the Essequibo region, which has been administered and controlled by Guyana for more than a century, although Venezuela also claims the disputed area. Venezuela recently conducted a referendum, which it claims citizens supported, that aims to give Venezuela authority over the Essequibo region. Guyanese officials said in response that the country is preparing to defend itself and its borders in case of an invasion. [...] The long-running dispute over the Essequibo —which comprises some two-thirds of Guyanese territory— has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered oil there in 2015. [...] Guyana, a former British and Dutch colony, insists the Essequibo frontiers were determined by an arbitration panel in 1899. But Venezuela claims the Essequibo River to the region's east forms a natural border recognized as far back as 1777.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-11-21): Venezuelans hold as self-evident truth that their homeland’s eastern end includes Guyana’s Essequibo region next to the Atlantic — a territory larger than Greece and rich in oil and minerals. As students, they learn it is subject to a century-old dispute and then, for the most part, forget about it. [...] Most of Guyana’s foreign investment is in the 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area, which accounts for two-thirds of its territory. Yet, Venezuela has considered Essequibo as its own since gaining independence from Spain in 1811, and it disputes the border decided by international arbitrators in 1899 when Guyana was still a British colony. [...] Guyana’s people believe Essequibo is theirs and see no legal issue in the matter, said Cummings, who has written about the dispute and grew up in Guyana, four miles from the border with Venezuela.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-23): The region of Essequibo (or as it is known in Spanish, Esequibo) is a disputed territory controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela. The dispute between the two countries over Essequibo is decades old, for it is a direct legacy of the colonial powers that ruled over the two nations - Spain in Venezuela and the United Kingdom in Guyana. However, the conflict has recently come to a head. Especially after the discovery of oil and gas offshore, Venezuela’s actions against Guyana’s sovereignty have increased. Indeed, expanding the country’s continental platform and sea borders would benefit the nation from both a geographical and economic standpoint. In this context, Venezuela’s claims are likely to affect regional peace and security. If a diplomatic solution is not found, tensions could escalate, resulting in maritime skirmishes and stand offs. Thus, the governments of both countries should pay close attention to resolving the matter swiftly.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 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. [...] The Court recalls that it has already set out the general background and context of the dispute between Guyana and Venezuela in its two Judgments in the present case. The dispute dates back to a series of events that took place during the second half of the nineteenth century, when Guyana was still a British colony, known as British Guiana. At that time, the United Kingdom and Venezuela both claimed the territory located between the mouth of the Essequibo River in the east and the Orinoco River in the west. In 1897, an arbitral tribunal was established to settle the boundary between British Guiana and Venezuela. In its Award rendered on 3 October 1899, the arbitral tribunal granted the entire mouth of the Orinoco River and the land on either side to Venezuela; it granted to the United Kingdom the land to the east extending to the Essequibo River. Between November 1900 and June 1904, a joint Anglo-Venezuelan commission demarcated the boundary established by the 1899 Award.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-11-16): In a pivotal development, intentionally timed between concurrent crises in Ukraine and Israel to avoid the international spotlight, Venezuela’s National Assembly (noted for its non-transparent anti-democratic character) has given the green light for a national referendum in early December to determine the status of the Essequibo territory. The only problem – Essequibo is not a part of Venezuela, nor has it been since the days of the Spanish Empire. This region, internationally acknowledged as part of the neighboring, oil-rich Guyana and constituting about two-thirds of that country’s expanse, holds substantial oil wealth. Guyana asserts that the current borders established in 1899 by an international arbitration tribunal during its British colonial era should remain in force. Conversely, Venezuela contends that the Essequibo River naturally demarcates the border, dismissing the 1899 verdict as ‘null and void". Subsequent diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute have largely faltered, with a historical turning point being the 1903 Venezuela blockade, prompting U.S.-mediated peace talks among European countries, which again recognized the current borders and establishing the applicable legal precedent. [...] Both countries perceive remarkable economic opportunities in Essequibo. For Guyana, possessing the world's largest crude reserves per capita, new discoveries could bring unparalleled wealth. Sensing this potential, Guyana has awarded drilling bids to major oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 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: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2016-01-08): The Essequibo (in Spanish, Esequibo), is an undeveloped, sparsely populated but resource-rich jungle territory region, nearly sixty percent of modern Guyana, consisting of all its territory west of the Essequibo River (see map). Venezuela’s deeply rooted belief is that the Essequibo region was unjustly taken from them by meddling foreign powers. It is a matter of national integrity, made more alluring by the possible wealth of natural resources there. Guyana’s position is that they are trying to defend the land that has been part of their country for almost 200 years, land they need to help develop their country economically. The territorial dispute, dating back to the 1830s, has heated up in recent months, after Exxon Mobil, working for the Guyanese government, announced in May 2015 that it had discoverd a large reserve of oil in ocean waters off the disputed territory. [...] The Essequibo (in Spanish, Esequibo), is nearly sixty percent of modern Guyana, consisting of all its territory west of the Essequibo River. The Treaty of Munster nor the London Convention defined a western boundary of (the later called) British Guyana.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-06): Maduro said he will proceed "to grant operating licences for the exploration and exploitation of oil, gas and mines in the entire area of our Essequibo". He demanded that Guyanese companies working in the territory leave within three months. [...] Venezuela has for decades laid claim to Essequibo, claiming that the Essequibo River to the region’s east forms a natural border and has historically been recognised as such. However, Guyana, of which Essequibo makes up more than two-thirds and hosts 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens, has administered the territory since the frontiers were determined by an arbitration panel in 1899.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-14): However, Venezuela has refused to recognize the results of the arbitration since 1962 and has claimed that she was despoiled of the Essequibo region. Situated west of the eponymous Essequibo River and comprising more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, the territory is controlled and administered by Guyana in accordance with the 1899 ruling. [...] More recently, the waters off the coast of the Essequibo have been found to contain one of the world’s largest crude oil deposits. In light of this, President Nicolas Maduro has begun to make moves to assert control over the region. In January 2021, Maduro escalated tensions by making a vow to "reconquer" the Essequibo region, which is a Guyanese sovereign territory in the eyes of the international community. [...] The government of Guyana then approached the ICJ for provisional measures, specifically to request that Venezuela be ordered not to take any of the actions that would be called for by the referendum, including especially the "creation" of a new Venezuelan state consisting of Guyana’s Essequibo Region and incorporating it into Venezuela’s territory, or granting Venezuelan citizenship or identification cards to the population, because these actions would amount to an unlawful annexation of Guyana’s territory, in violation of the most fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter.
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-11): A member of the Lokono Indigenous people, Perreira considers his home Essequibo, a vast territory on the western flank of Guyana. He grew up in Wakapoa, a village composed of 16 islands on the Pomeroon River, nestled in the heart of the region. [...] But since the referendum, Maduro has proceeded to declare Essequibo "a province" of Venezuela. He also directed Venezuela’s state-owned companies to "immediately" begin exploration for oil, gas and minerals in the region. [...] He told Al Jazeera he looks forward to the ruling. "I am Guyanese," Perreira said. "Essequibo is my home: It belongs to Guyana. I will die here."
Claim: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-09): Essequibo is primarily a hinterland forest, similar in makeup to Guyana as a whole. The terrain also encompasses highlands, savannas, and low coastal plains. This biodiverse ecoregion contains an abundance of natural resources, including hydrocarbons and precious metals. The longest of Guyana’s rivers, the Essequibo River rises in the Acaraí Mountains and flows northward for some 630 miles (1,010 km) before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest river between the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and is paralleled on the east by the Demerara River for a relatively short distance. The Essequibo River’s freshwater habitat is home to many species of wildlife, including 58 endemic fish species. [...] 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: Essequibo River is a territory of Guyana (Essequibo River, 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: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-06): Ankoko Island (Spanish: Isla de Anacoco) is an island located at the confluence of the Cuyuni River and Wenamu River, at 6°43′N 61°8′W / 6.717°N 61.133°W, on the border between Venezuela and Guyana. The Ankoko Island border was finalized in 1905 by the British-Venezuelan Mixed Boundry Commission, in accordance with the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899. Venezuelan commissioners Abraham Tirado and Elias Toro surveyed the area of the boundary for demarcation and, along with two British surveyors, all participants agreed and signed off on the border in 1905. Domestically, Venezuelans were vocal in their disappointment with the 1899 ruling. In the 20th century, the government of Venezuela officially sought to abrogate the legal borders and revert to the colonial boundary of the Essequibo river as set by the Spanish Empire. In 1966, five months after Guyana gained independence, the Venezuelan armed forces crossed the boundary on Ankoko Island and has occupied the Guyanese side of the island ever since, in violation of the peace treaty set forth by the Geneva Agreement. The status of the island is subject to the Geneva Agreement, which was signed by the United Kingdom, Venezuela and British Guiana on 17 February 1966. This treaty stipulates that the parties will agree to find a practical, peaceful and satisfactory solution to the border dispute.[1] Venezuela, which claims Ankoko Island as its own in the Guyana–Venezuela territorial dispute, established a military base on the island in 1966, which Guyana claims as an intrusion and aggression on its sovereign territory.
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (1999-02-22): Ankoko Island (Spanish: Isla de Anacoco) is an island located at the confluence of the Cuyuni River and Wenamu River, at 6°43′N 61°8′W / 6.717°N 61.133°W, on the border between Venezuela and the disputed area of Guayana Esequiba. Venezuela, which claims Guayana Esequiba as part of its territory, established a military base on the island in 1966, which Guyana claims as intrusion and aggression on a territory whose sovereignty was never under discussion.
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-16): During a press engagement, he explained that Anakoko which is situated at the confluence of the Cuyuni and Wenamu Rivers, forms part of the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela. The 1899 Arbitral Award, which settled the border dispute between British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela, granted only the eastern half of Anakoko Island to Venezuela. However, in the 1960s, Venezuela unilaterally occupied the entire island, a move that has never been internationally recognized but has persisted for decades. Amidst the swirling rumors that Venezuela’s recent infrastructure developments signify a further encroachment on Guyanese territory, Jagdeo emphasized the long-standing nature of the Anakoko Island dispute. "They’ve been saying that, oh, look what’s happening. We are allowing Venezuela to take over an island because they are building some bridge from Venezuela," Jagdeo said. [...] "So if anyone were to just read the history of Anakoko Island, you would see that Venezuela forcibly took over that whole island when they were only entitled to half of it based on the 1899 Award. And that took place a long time back," he explained.
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2009-01-01): Territorial disputes of Venezuela [...] Ankoko Island (Isla de Anacoco in Venezuela) is located at the confluence of the Cuyuni River and Wenamu River, at , on the border between Guyana and Venezuela. [...] This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ankoko Island
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2015-12-02): Ankoko Island (Isla de Anacoco in Venezuela) is located at the confluence of the Cuyuni River and Wenamu River, at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found., on the border between Venezuela and the disputed area of Guayana Esequiba. [...] The Venezuelan Foreign Minister replied on the 18 October to the Guyana protest. In a note to the Minister of External Affairs, (Burnham), Iribarren Borges stated that "that the Venezuelan Government does not accept the said protest, as the island of Ankoko is Venezuelan territory in its entirety and the Republic of Venezuela has always been in possession of it." He added that if Guyana "should have any reclamation to formulate", it should do so through the Mixed Commission created by the Geneva Agreement. As a matter of fact the said islands were always part of the Venezuelan territory and were not part of the 1899 Award that settled the boundaries in favor to the British Empire East of the Cuyuni River. The said island being a flotant island belong therefore to Venezuelan which sovereignty over the said islands was never under discussion. The said Award was agreed by both parties to be null and void under the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-03): Español: Isla de Anacoco administrada por Venezuela como parte de la Parroquia Dalla Acosta, Municipio Sifontes, Estado Bolívar, Venezuela, una parte de la isla es reclamada por Guyana con el nombre de Ankoko English: Anacoco Island administered by Venezuela as part of the Dalla Acosta Parish, Sifontes Municipality, Bolivar State, Venezuela, a part of the island is claimed by Guyana as Ankoko [...] Ankoko-Island-1905.jpg 676 × 489; 121 KB -
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-27): La isla de Anacoco[1][2] (en inglés Ankoko Island)[3][4] es una isla fluvial de 8 km² administrada por Venezuela como parte del territorio de la Parroquia Dalla Costa en el Municipio Sifontes del Estado Bolívar —en la que se encuentra el asentamiento militar "Base de Seguridad Territorial Isla de Anacoco"—, pero cuya mitad oriental es reclamada por Guyana.[5] Está situada al norte de la confluencia del río Cuyuní y del río Venamo, cerca de la población de San Martín de Turumbán en 6°46′36″N 61°8′34″O / 6.77667, -61.14278, al límite del territorio de la Guayana Esequiba reclamado por Venezuela según el uti possidetis iure.[6] La isla fue dividida entre los dos países y se acordó en 1905 según el Laudo Arbitral de París. La ocupación de la parte oriental de la isla Anacoco por parte del ejército venezolano se considera una violación del Acuerdo de Ginebra que busca una solución pacífica a la disputa territorial. Venezuela ahora cuestiona la validez del arbitraje y ha renovado su reclamo sobre la isla Anacoco y la Guayana Esequiba.
Claim: Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco is a territory of Venezuela (Ankoko Island/Isla de Anacoco, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-15): Since early February, CSIS said that the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela (FANB) have moved substantial quantities of personnel and equipment to sites near the border. In particular, the military base at Ankoko Island, as well as the airport and coast guard station at Guiria, have seen considerable activity based on social media and satellite imagery analysis. Construction and expansion of the military base on Ankoko Island – Guyana’s half of which was seized by Venezuela – has proceeded at a sustained pace. Social media and satellite imagery both show progress in the building of the bridge over the Cuyuni River to the island, and new pathways now connect the island to the ferry landing. As recently as May 8, CSIS said that video can be seen of a Bailey bridge extending some distance over the river, likely a temporary connection while a more permanent connection is created. A narrow-gauge railroad, no trace of which existed in February, is now being built from the ferry crossing toward the airfield, and once completed it would presumably bring supplies from the airfield to the base and nearby towns, CSIS said. [...] "Meanwhile, the aircraft and the base at (Ankoko) were used to train paratroopers and special operations personnel, as well as to simulate land and maritime operations. As of April 28, the field tents have been relocated to the southern side of the airfield, demonstrating the base’s continued ability to provide logistics and resupply for a sizeable military force continuously for over a month", CSIS asserted.