The arrival of a British military ship in Guyana activates Maduro's "defensive action"

The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, ordered this Thursday a “defensive action” in the Atlantic Ocean in response to the arrival of a British warship off the coast of Guyana, which has once again triggered tension between the South American countries over their territorial dispute.

“I have ordered the activation of a joint action of the entire Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) on the eastern Caribbean of Venezuela, on the Atlantic facade, a joint action of a defensive nature in response to the provocation and threat of the United Kingdom against the peace and the sovereignty of our country,” said the president.

The announcement was made in front of the military leadership, during a meeting that was broadcast on a mandatory basis on radio and television, in which he communicated with a group of military personnel who carried out “the first phase” of this operation, which consisted in a deployment over land and waters of the state of Sucre (northeast).

Maduro did not give details about the scope and duration of this operation but insisted that the arrival of the British HMS Trent is an “unacceptable threat” that represents a “rupture” of the agreements he signed with his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, on the 14th. December, when they promised not to threaten each other and avoid incidents related to the dispute.

“Venezuela cannot sit idly by in the face of a threat, we are responding in a proportional measure,” he assured after reiterating that he is committed to diplomacy and peace.

The Chavista leader criticized that Guyana has ignored Caracas’ requests not to accept the arrival of the British ship to its coasts.

Minutes earlier, the Venezuelan Government had condemned this fact in a statement, in which it asked Georgetown “to take immediate action to remove the ship and refrain from continuing to involve military powers in the controversy.”

The dispute escalated after Venezuela approved on December 3, in a unilateral referendum, to annex the area under dispute, an area of ??almost 160,000 square kilometers that is under the control of Guyana and is currently being discussed by the International Court of Justice.