A TEAM of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldiers are investigating alleged altercation between Venezuelan soldiers and a number of Guyanese civilians in the North West District, according to GDF Chief of Staff Brigadier, Mark Phillips.

Brigadier Phillips noted, however, that no Guyanese soldiers were involved in the incident because none of this country’s military personnel were stationed there.
The incident is said to have occurred on Friday afternoon at Bruk-Up Falls, located on the Guyana side of the bordering Amacuro River, some six hours by boat from the remote Amerindian community of Yarakita in the North West District.
According to some sources, there are reports that Guyanese authorities are also probing reports that Venezuelans also assaulted several Guyanese.
Reports from the Mabaruma Sub-Region indicated that several Guyanese men and a female trader were held against their will in the Tucupita Delta in Venezuela. Further reports said that the victims were taken from Bruk-Up Falls after a large number of Venezuelan soldiers swarmed the location and assaulted and handcuffed several Guyanese men who were in the area.
Reports suggest that GDF authorities dispatched soldiers stationed at Mabaruma to the area on Friday afternoon and confronted the Venezuelan military ranks, even as relatives of the victims reported that they were frequently being harassed by the Venezuelans. It is reported that the Venezuelans are claiming that the Guyanese were illegally operating on Spanish soil, doing mining.
However, reports from the area are suggesting that Bruk-Up Landing is located in Guyanese territory and that the Venezuelan military has been in the habit of targeting locals since many of them would cross the borders at that location for items in return for raw gold.
It is well known that for several years Guyanese have been trading between the two locations since the ‘the very rich’ Polvo De Oro area on the North Eastern side of Venezuela is within miles of the border.

(By Alex Wayne)