Chief of Defence Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar Khan, on Tuesday called on residents of the indigenous communities in that country—particularly those along the border with Venezuela—to share all relevant information with the army.
“I want you to be vigilant. People are taking videos of what’s happening on the other side. We want to know when to turn left and when to turn right, and we need your support,” Brigadier Khan told the more than 200 Indigenous leaders, attending the annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference.
Guyana and Venezuela have a long running border dispute with the matter now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and in his address, Brigadier Khan reminded the indigenous leaders that Guyana’s borders are clearly defined and internationally recognised.
“There are no grey area of understanding,” he added.
The ICJ has warned Caracas against “annexation” of the Essequibo, an oil-rich region that makes up about two-thirds of Guyana and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.
Venezuela has announced plans to stage elections for the Essequibo region, even as the ICJ unanimously reaffirmed provisional measures granted in December 2023 and told the Spanish-speaking country that it should refrain from conducting or preparing to conduct the elections in the Essequibo region.
In his address, Brigadier Khan also called for national unity as Guyana celebrates its Independence on May 26.
“In a few days’ time, we will be celebrating our 59th anniversary of independence. It’s important for us to understand what sovereignty means and to love and protect our country,” Brigadier Khan said.
He also urged young people to join the Guyana Defence Force, addressing also the criticisms about the size of the army saying: “People say we have a small defence force, but I’ll tell you, I’d rather count horses than heads.” —GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)
