Hello, and welcome to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: The territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. The start of the Noboa era in Ecuador. And Latin America’s clean energy push.
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Venezuela-Guyana Essequibo dispute exacerbates after oil discovery
Venezuela will hold on Sunday a non-binding referendum for citizens to decide whether the country should claim sovereignty over Essequibo, a vast mineral-filled area making up roughly two-thirds of the territory of Guyana. All Venezuelans aged above 18 are eligible to participate, and a simulation of the vote conducted three weeks ago was deemed successful.
- With over 160,000 square kilometers, the Essequibo territory has been under dispute between Venezuela and Guyana since the 19th century.
The beef. The border dispute began in 1841, when Guyana was still a British colony and Venezuela accused Britain of encroaching on its territory. Three decades prior, British Guiana had been acquired from the Netherlands through a treaty that did not define the western limits.
- The British commissioned Robert Schomburgk, a surveyor and naturalist, to...