GDF troops attacked by armed men on Venezuelan shore, no injuries reported

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) has reported that within the past 24 hours, armed men in civilian clothing on the Venezuelan shore along the Cuyuni River, between Eteringbang and Makapa, carried out three separate attacks on GDF troops who were conducting riverine patrols.

In a statement, the GDF said that on each occasion, it executed a measured response, and no rank sustained any injuries.

“The Force remains resolute in its mission to protect Guyana’s territorial integrity and ensure the safety of its citizens. It will continue to respond to acts of aggression along the Guyana-Venezuela border and will maintain regular patrols along the Cuyuni River,” the release noted.

The army has assured the public that it is taking all necessary measures to safeguard the nation’s borders and maintain peace and security within the country.

The attack on the GDF follows a similar incident that occurred in February this year, when a group of heavily armed men attacked a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) patrol vessel from Venezuelan territory, injuring six soldiers.

On March 1, a Venezuelan naval vessel entered Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and falsely claimed that several vessels, including an ExxonMobil FPSO, were operating in “disputed international waters.”

The most recent attack reported by the GDF comes days ahead of Venezuela’s purported planned elections in the Essequibo on May 25, a day before Guyana’s Independence celebrations.

Both residents and leaders in the region have confirmed that preparations for no such activity have taken place. Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn has also warned that anyone participating in any such activity organised by Venezuela will be charged with treason.

The Guyana-Venezuela border case is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ this month ordered Venezuela to refrain from conducting or preparing to conduct elections in the territory currently of Essequibo administered by Guyana, pending a final ruling in the case.

Guyana has maintained that the border matter with Venezuela was definitively settled in the 1899 Arbitral Award.