Oil Riches Fuel Heated Dispute Between Venezuela and Guyana

Squabbling between Venezuela and South America’s newest oil-producing nation Guyana over the resource-rich Essequibo region is heating up once again. The more than century-long quarrel centers on Venezuela’s claim to the 61,000 square mile area, which comprises roughly two-thirds of Guyana’s sovereign territory. After supermajor Exxon made a swathe of high-quality oil discoveries in the waters off Essequibo, socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s saber-rattling intensified. By the end of 2023,…