The day before yesterday the government issued a press release stating it had taken note of “various social media posts” which had indicated that the number of Venezuelan soldiers close to our “borders” had increased, and that they were engaged in military exercises. Every item of information was being taken seriously, said the statement, adding that the GDF had been reviewing the reports. Venezuelan Ambassador Carlos Amador Pérez Silva was duly called in, and according to Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who is performing the functions of President and who spoke to this newspaper, his explanation was that the increased military activities were “geared towards curbing illegal mining operations”.
The press release did not specify exactly which “borders” were involved, although it used a plural, but it must be presumed that it was referring to the Cuyuni frontier primarily, although in the absence of information to the contrary it could conceivably apply to somewhere along the boundary in Region One as well, where there is mining on the Venezuelan side. It is interesting that the GDF had to be alerted by social media to the troop movements; their own intelligence capacity is seemingly very limited, although they did do what was necessary and confirm the information. Perhaps their intelligence unit is in need of an upgrade.
That aside, the GDF has been providing regular updates on the situation, and in our report we quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “Everything the Venezuelans are doing they are doing in Venezuela. We have not seen any incursion or any movement of Venezuela on Guyana’s side.” This country is inevitably cautious, however, given the tensions which have arisen over Caracas’s declared intention to hold a national referendum on its illegitimate claim to Essequibo, so Georgetown has informed both Caricom heads and international partners about this latest development.
The Prime Minister did say, however, that normally it is best to give advance notice to a border country about increased military activity, so as not to cause alarm. “If you are accustomed to seeing a number of personnel every day and you see a buildup, that is cause for concern,” we quoted him as saying.
So does the Venezuelan clarification about curbing illegal mining reflect the reality of Caracas’s intentions? It is certainly a plausible explanation. In 2016 President Nicolás Maduro created the Orinoco Mining Arc, sweeping across the middle of Venezuela from the border with Colombia to Bolívar State on our border. It is said to represent 12.2% of Venezuela’s landmass, and is larger than the country of Portugal. In the last few years the depredations, criminality and abuses which have gone on there have been the subject of expressions of concern from a number of NGOs as well as commentary by several international news agencies.
The online daily, the Caracas Chronicles put it succinctly, describing the Arc as a “free-for-all for criminal gangs, Colombian guerrillas, and security forces,” which has “radically affected local communities, driving internal migration, fragmenting the administrative control of the country, and leading to never-ending violence and human rights abuses.” Last year Human Rights Watch held a virtual discussion with experts in the field on the grave human and environmental impact that illegal mining had had on Venezuela.
Most goldmining there, said HRW, was illegal and much of the gold was smuggled out to be laundered into the national gold of “transit countries” like Colombia, Guyana and Brazil, before being sold to companies in North America and Europe. Reference was made to a report done by the agency in 2020, when it documented how the residents of Bolívar state suffered appalling abuses at the hands of armed groups, including the Sindicatos which controlled the illegal mines. These groups said HRW appeared to operate largely with government acquiescence or involvement “to maintain social control.” Examples of abuses which were given included amputations, shootings and killings.
There has too been an enormous loss of rainforest in the Arc. Reports by NGO Clima21 and an international fact-finding mission set up by the UN Human Rights Council say that the largest loss of rainforest has occurred in the gold-mining concessions of Bolívar state, which it will be remembered borders Guyana. This is repeated in other parts of the Arc where the government has granted mining concessions to the ELN, a Colombian guerilla group which bribes the Venezuelan army. In addition to all its other abuses it has also attacked indigenous communities, while mining areas in general are hotbeds of sex trafficking.
According to Clima21, Venezuela’s Guayana region is considered “a hotspot when it comes to global deforestation,” while the UN report also references the “degradation of riverbeds and banks, and water and land pollution by hazardous waste, notably mercury, which is massively used despite being banned in the country.”
Since all these abuses have been going on for many years, apparently with the tacit acceptance of the Venezuelan government, it has to be asked why would it try to do anything about it now. In December last year actor Leonardo DiCaprio cited a New Scientist article in a social media post saying that state-sanctioned gold-mining in Venezuela was causing a 170% annual increase in the loss of pristine rainforest. This seems to have punctured Mr Maduro’s pride, and in his end-of-the-year address he asked the Operational Strategic Commander of the army to increase efforts against illegal gold-mining.
That was rather long ago, however, and would seem unlikely to be connected to what is happening currently. What may provide a better explanation is that the US will be easing some of the sanctions on Venezuela after the government and opposition agreed to have next year’s election monitored by international observers. The sanctions will be eased, not just on the oil and gas sectors, but also on gold. The licence from the US Treasury now authorises Venezuela to export oil to its chosen markets for the next six months. Significantly, no time limit has been given for the gold sector.
The decision could be reversed if certain other things don’t happen, but it may be that President Maduro hopes that if there is a sanctions’ reimposition, gold will escape if he is seen to be trying to clean up operations. It is always possible, of course, that Washington gave him a private warning about the gold industry, given its association with money-laundering in particular, not to mention environmental damage.
Even if, however, the troops on the Venezuelan side of the border are there for the moment in relation to illegal mining, Guyana should still be on its guard. In the first place, a change in the political climate can always reorient their mission, and in the second, they might try to intrude on Guyana’s territory by claiming they are pursuing Sindicatos who are taking refuge here. It must not be forgotten that years ago when Caracas was supposedly moving against illegal miners who were poisoning the rivers which fed the Guri Dam, members of the Venezuelan military were involved in forays against our mining dredges on the grounds they were contributing to the pollution.
The opposition wasted no time in stating that it stood unequivocally with the government on border matters relating to this nation’s sovereignty, with Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton adding that he thought “we need to reach out and work together …” He suggested that a structured approach was required, and said the opposition would be willing to work with the administration on this. “We need to reach out and work out, in clear terms, how we deal with the actions of Venezuela and our borders,” he was quoted as saying, adding that President Ali seemed to share this view.
If the two men really do share this view, then they can only be applauded; where border matters are concerned unity on the political front is essential.
