Overview

• Guyana has filed a request with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop Venezuela from holding elections in the Essequibo region, which has been administered by Guyana for over a century.
• The ICJ previously ruled in December 2023 that Venezuela must refrain from actions altering the status of the disputed territory, which represents two-thirds of Guyana's landmass.
• Venezuela plans to hold elections on May 25 for a new state it claims to have created in the Essequibo region, based on a 2023 non-binding referendum supporting its territorial claim.
• Tensions have escalated recently, with Guyana accusing Venezuelan naval vessels of threatening an ExxonMobil unit operating in maritime areas claimed by Guyana.
• The territorial dispute, dating back to an 1899 arbitration ruling in favor of Guyana, has intensified since significant oil reserves were discovered in the Essequibo in 2015.