The International Court of Justice has today, 1 December 2023, ordered Venezuela not to take any action to challenge, disrupt or interfere with Guyana’s longstanding control and administration of the Essequibo Region, which constitutes more than two-thirds of Guyana’s land territory, until the Court has issued its final Judgment on which State enjoys sovereignty over that territory.
Specifically, the Court ordered that “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”
The Order was adopted unanimously by all the sitting Judges. The Court’s Order was issued in response to Guyana’s Request for Provisional Measures, which was prompted by a national referendum that Venezuela has scheduled for Sunday, December 3, in which the people are asked to approve Venezuela’s annexation of the Essequibo Region and incorporation of it into the Venezuelan State. The Court’s Order prohibits Venezuela from taking such a measure, or any other measure that would change the status quo in the territory, regardless of the outcome of the Venezuelan referendum on Sunday.
