ALBAWABA - On Sunday, Venezuela was set to hold a referendum on whether to take over an already existing region in a country named Guyana for its oil-rich resources.
According to Al Jazeera, the vote came to exist right after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) tried to stop Venezuela from “taking any action” as it would harm and affect the region's status quo.
Venezuela to take over oil-rich Guyana region
(Photo by Pedro Rances Mattey / AFP)
Additionally, Venezuela's ruling on Friday was the latest in the ongoing border dispute between the two countries since 1841. The ICJ added in April that it had jurisdiction over the conflict but it could be years from now for the final ruling.
Despite Guyana's request, Caracas, Venezuela's capital, was not banned from holding the referendum on Dec. 3, 2023.
What is the referendum in Venezuela?
The referendum on December 3 follows Venezuela's right to potentially take over part of Guyana's oil-rich region in the long-running border dispute between the two countries.
According to Al Jazeera, Venezuela needs to answer 5 questions in total including;
If Guyana agrees to the takeover of the new state called Esequiba in Essequibo, Venezuela should grant all its population citizenship, identity cards, and the inclusion of the region on the map.
Guyana's main concern is the annexation of their country amid the referendum.
American lawyer Paul Reichler who is responsible for the country's affairs said “The collective decision called for here involves nothing less than the annexation of the territory in dispute in this case,” and told the ICJ that “This is a textbook example of annexation.”
