The United States is prepared to support the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in its efforts to combat the growing threat posed by foreign gangs along the Cuyuni River, a key stretch of the border between Guyana and Venezuela.
This assurance was delivered by U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, during the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC) 33rd Annual General Meeting on Friday.
Ambassador Theriot described the gang’s recent attacks on GDF patrols as “acts of aggression” by criminals and declared that the United States is fully aligned with Guyana in ensuring peace, security, and the protection of its territorial integrity.
“No amount of bluster or saber-rattling changes the fact that the United States will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Guyana in support of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Venezuela, of course, has also been in the news recently due to the syndicato’s acts of aggression against the GDF patrolling the Cuyuni. These are criminals engaging in criminal activity. And the United States stands ready to support the GDF in its effort to eradicate this activity along Guyana’s frontier and to ensure the safety and security of Guyana’s people,” Ambassador Theriot said.
Her comments come just days after the GDF reported multiple armed attacks on its river patrols between May 13 and 15 by men in civilian clothing on the Venezuelan side of the Cuyuni River, between Eteringbang and Makapa.
The incidents have heightened tensions in a region already strained by Venezuela’s escalating rhetoric and controversial plans to hold so-called elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region on May 25, a move the U.S. and international community have roundly condemned.
Theriot reaffirmed the Trump administration’s unwavering support for Guyana’s sovereignty and emphasised that Venezuela’s actions amount to nothing more than “saber-rattling.”
“We fully support the ICJ’s provisional measures for Venezuela to halt its so-called elections in the Essequibo on May 25th. And we are extremely unhappy that they made that ill-advised decision to go ahead and move forward. You will be seeing a very strongly worded tweet coming out of the State Department very soon on that issue. And it will make extremely clear to you where the U.S. stands,” she revealed.
Discover more from INews Guyana
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
