Fears over a possible invasion spiked in Guyana after Sunday’s referendum in Venezuela. The non-binding referendum passed with 95% voting yes to the annexation of the territory  Essequibo, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana’s land area. 

The region gives Venezuela access to massive offshore oil reserves that were recently discovered by Exxon Mobil. Guyana claims that this is a “Textbook example of annexation”.

Guyana is a small nation in South America, bordering Venezuela to the west and flanked by Suriname to the east, with Brazil to its south. The territory of Essequibo has been disputed for the last hundred years between the two countries, and this most recent referendum is a manifestation of the fears of a lot of Guyanese.

On the same ballot, the referendum included five other questions, which ranged from whether Essequibo should be a new Venezuelan state, to whether people living in Essequibo should become citizens of Venezuela. 

In a ruling last Friday, the International Court of Justice told Venezuela to not take any action that would alter Guyana’s control over the region, but time will tell whether this referendum will lead to annexation or eventually fizzle out.