GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The United Nations’ top court ordered Venezuela on Thursday to refrain from holding elections for officials who supposedly would oversee a resource-rich area in neighboring Guyana that both countries claim as their own.
The ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands comes at the request of Guyana, which accused Venezuela of violating an earlier ruling by planning to hold elections on May 25 for a governor and other officials to administer the Essequibo region.
Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said he welcomed the ruling.
“Once again, Guyana’s position has prevailed,” he said.
Venezuela’s press office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The Essequibo region represents two-thirds of Guyana and is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It also is located close to massive offshore oil deposits, with current production averaging some 650,000 barrels daily.
The dispute between the South American neighbors over Essequibo began more than a century ago, when an international tribunal in 1899 drew the border between them.
In 2018, Guyana went to the International Court of Justice and asked judges to uphold the 1899 ruling.
The case is still pending in court while tensions between the two countries keep rising.
In late 2023, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro threatened to annex the region by force after holding a referendum asking voters if Essequibo should be turned into a Venezuelan state.
Days later, Caribbean leaders, joined by Brazil and the U.N., held an emergency summit where Guyana and Venezuela agreed to refrain from using force.
But the territorial dispute remained unresolved, and tensions have continued to escalate since the summit.
In March, Guyana’s president denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters that are home to a major offshore oil deposit being developed by ExxonMobil.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez disputed Ali’s claims and called ExxonMobil’s oil installations “illegal.”
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