With Maduro’s capture, Venezuela’s aggression towards Guyana likely to be ‘put on hold’ – Greenidge

The recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife by U.S. forces may reduce sustained pressure on Guyana, according to Guyana’s Agent in the World Court case with Venezuela, Carl Greenidge. He commented in an exclusive interview with OilNOW on January 6.

“The change in the relationship between Venezuela and the U.S. in the immediate future is likely to put on hold Venezuela’s military ambitions towards Guyana because I don’t think they’ll be in a position to realize that,” he told OilNOW.

Maduro had been at the forefront of aggressive acts against Guyana, in his bid to claim the Essequibo region, two-thirds of its South American neighbor’s lawful territory, despite the case before the International Court of Justice.

The controversy had escalated in 2023. A wave of threats began just a day after Guyana announced the results of its first offshore oil auction. Things escalated further when Venezuela passed a motion in its national assembly reaffirming its territorial claim over Guyana’s Essequibo region and increased troop movement at the shared border.

Then came the national referendum questions. But it did not stop there. Later on in 2025, a group of Guyanese soldiers came under attack in February near the country’s western border, allegedly by members of the Venezuelan Sindicato gang. Then, a Venezuelan navy vessel invaded Guyana’s exclusive economic zone.

The ship sailed past a few of ExxonMobil’s oil assets in the Stabroek Block. By radio, it sent a message to the Prosperity floating production, storage and offloading vessel that was operating in “disputed international waters”.

After that, Guyana’s security forces came under fire from across the Venezuelan border while escorting election officials and ballot boxes along the Upper Cuyuni River in Region 7.

Following Maduro’s capture, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in to lead Venezuela in the interim. Rodríguez has also maintained Maduro’s strong claim to the Essequibo.

Asked whether the leadership change could alter Venezuela’s posture, Greenidge stated, “The ambition of Venezuela…had to do with military threat to annex parts of our territory, both land and maritime. I don’t think that – and I am not an expert in such matters – but common sense would suggest, if you can’t protect your integral territory, why would you be attempting to acquire someone else’s.”

Guyana expects a ruling to the World Court case this year.

The case centers on the 1899 Arbitral Award, which legally determined the boundary between the two countries. Venezuela, after accepting the boundary for decades, declared the award null and void in 1962 and has since claimed over two-thirds of Guyana’s territory in the Essequibo region. (OilNOW)