VENEZUELA’S mounting hostility towards Guyana is a portentous assault on the very foundations of international law and regional security.

As our nation stands ready to celebrate the 59th Anniversary of Independence, we are confronted by a neighbour whose actions are increasingly irresponsible and whose disrespect for established principles of law threatens the peace of our entire region.

Venezuela’s May 25, 2025, elections, deliberately scheduled one day before Guyana’s independence anniversary, is a deliberate provocation

aimed at challenging the sovereignty of Guyana at our most symbolically momentous time.

The recent attacks on Guyana Defence Force members from May 13 to 15, 2025, when armed civilians fired on our men from the opposite side of the river from the Venezuelan border at Eteringbang and Makapa, represent a dangerous escalation that will not be tolerated.

These attacks, following similar attacks only three months prior that left GDF soldiers wounded, demonstrate a trend of Venezuelan aggression that mocks global standards and threatens regional stability.

That these attackers were wearing civilian clothes when they made military-style attacks says a lot about the cowardly nature of Venezuela’s policy—afraid to engage through the proper diplomatic and legal channels, but happy to shed blood in the pursuit of their illegitimate territorial ambitions.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali’s firm response—announcing Guyana “83,000 square miles proud and strong — unshakeable, unbreakable”—is not only presidential determination but that of our people.

His diplomacy, defence, and global partnership framework is a holistic strategy for addressing Venezuelan aggression, while staying on the course of peaceful resolution.

However, diplomacy is only effective if both sides are willing, and Venezuela’s consistent refusal to obey International Court of Justice rulings demonstrates their absolute unwillingness to behave in good faith.

The ICJ’s strong position, instructing Venezuela not to have elections within the Essequibo area by a vote of 12 to three, constitutes an absolute validation of the legal position of Guyana.

The court’s orders, originally issued on December 1, 2023, and again in May 2025, unequivocally forbid Venezuela from taking any step that would change the current territorial configuration. Venezuela’s foreign minister’s announcement of their intention to proceed with these fake elections is an indication of their disdain for international law and judicial authority.

What is particularly odious in Venezuela’s conduct is their violation of their own previous commitments. Having submitted counter-memorials to the ICJ in 2024, Venezuela cannot now contend that the court has no jurisdiction while simultaneously disrespecting its unequivocal orders.

This is not merely legal inconsistency but the very essence of bad faith, which is beyond any expectation of settlement by peaceful means by orderly international processes.

Guyana must remain vigilant and unite against this aggression. President Ali’s call to citizens to “fly your Golden Arrowhead very high, knowing that not a square inch will be ceded,” ought to resonate with all Guyanese.

Our sovereignty is non-negotiable, our territorial integrity inviolable, and our commitment to international law unshakeable.

Venezuela’s aggression will ultimately fail because it is pitted against the strength of international law, regional unity, and the unyielding will of the Guyanese nation. History will record this moment as having been a time when a small country stood firmly against aggression and was strengthened by the test.