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Guyana BORDER DISPUTES
Guyana-Venezuela Dispute
During the 1800s, Venezuela and British Guiana both laid claim
to a large tract (five-eighths of present-day Guyana) between the
Essequibo River and the mouth of the Orinoco River
(see Origins of the Border Dispute with Venezuela
, ch. 1). In 1899 a court of
arbitration awarded more than 90 percent of the disputed area to
British Guiana, and the matter appeared to be settled. In the early
1960s, however, Venezuela reasserted its claim to the disputed
territory
(see Relations with Venezuela
, ch. 4). In 1966 a
commission was established to negotiate a settlement, but border
incidents repeatedly interrupted its work. On October 12, 1966,
Guyana discovered that Venezuelan military and civilian personnel
had occupied the Guyanese half of Ankoko Island in the Cuyuni
River. The Venezuelans had begun developing an airfield and mining
facilities on the island. Prime Minister Burnham protested the
occupation and demanded Venezuela's complete withdrawal and the
removal of the facilities. Dismissing the protest, Venezuela
countercharged that Ankoko Island had always been Venezuelan
territory. With Guyana unable to force a Venezuelan withdrawal,
Ankoko Island remained occupied, and sporadic gunfire was exchanged
by between Guyanese and Venezuelan military outposts.
The Ankoko Island incident was followed in July 1968 by
Venezuela's extension of its territorial waters to twelve nautical
miles off its coast including the disputed region. Because Guyana
claimed only a three-nautical-mile limit, Venezuela's decree in
effect established a claim over coastal waters from three to twelve
nautical miles off Guyana's western coast. Guyana immediately
condemned the Venezuelan decree, and Britain voiced its concern to
the Venezuelan ambassador in London. Political sparring continued
for six months until the incident was overshadowed by new events.
On January 4, 1969, Prime Minister Burnham reported that
disturbances had occurred in the Rupununi region of southern
Guyana. The historically independent-minded ranchers of the
Rupununi's savannahs had unsuccessfully attempted a secessionist
revolt. The police station in Lethem, the major government post in
the region, had been attacked on January 2. Four policemen and one
civilian employee of the police had been killed. The insurgents
then seized and blocked most area airstrips. The airstrip at
Manari, eight kilometers from Lethem, was left open, apparently for
the insurgents' own use. Responding quickly, the Guyanese
government flew police and GDF forces to Manari. Surprised by the
rapid government action, the insurgents fled to Venezuela and order
was restored.
The Guyanese government charged that a captured insurgent
claimed the ranchers had developed a plan in December 1968 to
create a separate state with Venezuelan aid. Venezuela allegedly
transported the insurgents to and from training camps in Venezuela.
After Guyana put down the rebellion, the insurgents took refuge
in Venezuelan border towns. Venezuela denied any wrongdoing and
declared the insurgents Venezuelan citizens because they had
inhabited land claimed by Venezuela. The new citizens were promised
land and jobs by the Venezuelan government. Guyana bitterly
protested the Venezuelan actions.
The troubled peace along the border was again shattered in
February 1970 when Guyanese and Venezuelan forces skirmished for
several days. Machine guns and mortars were used during the three
days of fighting, which involved Venezuelan troops on Ankoko Island
and Guyanese troops at a nearby outpost. On March 3, Venezuela
closed the border.
Throughout the troubled period, the border commission had
continued to meet. The commission's four-year term expired in early
1970 with the dispute unresolved. Nonetheless, on June 18, 1970,
the governments of Venezuela, Britain, and Guyana signed the
Protocol of Port-of-Spain. This protocol, which supplemented the
1899 agreement, placed a twelve-year moratorium on the border
dispute. The protocol provided for continued discussions, a
suspension of territorial claims, and automatic renewal of the
protocol if it remained uncontested after the twelve years. In 1981
Venezuela announced that it would not renew the protocol.
Relations between Guyana and Venezuela slowly improved
throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In October 1990, the GDF and the
Venezuelan Army signed a protocol establishing the framework for
improved relations. The protocol covered cooperation in training,
sports, and culture, and would remain in force for an indefinite
period. The document was a revision of a protocol signed in the
1980s and created a context for future discussions. Protocol
signatories were the GDF's acting chief of staff, Brigadier Joe
Singh, and Venezuelan army commander Carlos Peñaloza.
Data as of January 1992
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