Leaders of the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) yesterday condemned the shooting of six Guyanese soldiers from the Venezuelan side of the Cuyuni River on February 17th.
When CARICOM Chairman and Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley, was asked by Stabroek News about the issue, she said a statement will be forthcoming. She made the disclosure at the close of summit news conference in Barbados, where the regional bloc met to discuss pressing matters in the region.
“A statement will go out condemning the shootings as well as continuing to express solidarity with Guyana,” she said when asked by Stabroek News.
There was no statement from CARICOM up to press time.
Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who was a key figure in the Argyle Agreement in December 2023 to ease tensions between Guyana and Venezuela told reporters in Barbados that he was not aware of all the facts.
“I heard but I don’t know the facts. I’ll find out the facts. I just heard about it when I read it,” Gonsalves, who is a known to be a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro explained in his response.
On February 17th, GDF soldiers, who were aboard a boat, were ambushed by two boats each carrying 12 members of the sindicato crime gang. The attackers opened fire unexpectedly, leaving the soldiers exposed and unable to take cover in the vicinity of Eteringbang and Makapa. One of the soldiers, identified as “Pouch,” who was steering the boat, bore the brunt of the assault, suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The others attempted to return fire while seeking shelter behind the boat’s structure.
Subsequently, Foreign Minister Hugh Todd told Venezuela’s Ambassador Carlos Perez here that Guyana is outraged at the attack last Friday by suspected sindicatos across the Cuyuni River.
Todd said that Venezuela will be held responsible for the actions of the perpetrators, believed to be Venezuelan criminal gangs operating with impunity along the international border.
Despite the gravity of the attack, no helicopter was deployed to rescue the soldiers that night due to the challenging terrain. They were instead transported by boat to the Kurutuku Health Centre for medical treatment. SN’s source in the area said “the toshao of Kurutuku drove up Kanaima falls to go for them since Makapa outpost wasn’t equipped.”
The injured personnel included Second Lieutenant Ansel Murray, who suffered a gunshot wound to the right side of his head; Sgt Kevon Davis, who was shot in the right foot and ankle; Cpl Andrew Fraser, who sustained gunshot wounds to the left side of his abdomen and shoulder; Cpl Kevin Henry, who was shot in the left arm and shoulder; L/Cpl Travis Yorrick, who was injured in the right thigh; and Private Ezron Samuel, who was shot in the right side of his abdomen. Despite their injuries, all personnel were reported to be conscious and stable. Medical treatment was administered by GDF medic L/Cpl Melville at the Makapa GDF Observation Post.
Boiling point
Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela reached a boiling point in 2023 after a Venezuelan referendum was held on December 3rd seeking the annexation of Guyana’s Essequibo. The ensuing friction led to the convening of the high-level Argyle meeting on December 14th that year in St Vincent which yielded a declaration in which both countries eschewed the use of force or threat of the use of force in resolving issues between them.
In the historic face-to-face meeting with Maduro, President Ali had made it “clear” to his Venezuelan counterpart, that no activity whatsoever, including joint initiatives would be allowed in the 160,000-square kilometre Essequibo area without this country’s approval.
Both sides agreed not to use force against each other in any circumstance, a key development for Georgetown in the light of months of tension over Caracas’ staging of a referendum on Essequibo and its subsequent decision to annex the county which makes up five-eighths of this country.
The presidents had held a series of talks in St Vincent before final approval of an 11-point joint declaration which said that they both “Agreed that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those
consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.”
Hammered out in the presence of high-level interlocutors including host, Vin-centian Prime Minister Gonsalves; Celso Amorim, special envoy of the Brazilian President; and Dominican Prime Minster Roosevelt Skerrit, the two leaders also agreed that any controversies between the two states would be settled in accordance with international law including the Geneva Agreement of February 17, 1966.
Noted in the Joint Declaration was this country’s assertion that it is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the resolution of the border controversy. Also noted was Venezuela’s assertion of its lack of consent and lack of recognition of the ICJ and its jurisdiction in the border controversy.
