According to the US transnational ExxonMobil, on 22 December 2018 the Venezuelan navy expelled two ships that were carrying out prospecting works in the territorial waters between Venezuela and Guyana. Venezuela and Guyana are disputing to which of them these waters belong. On the faith of this communiqué, Guyana, followed by the United States and finally the Lima Group have condemned this military action by Venezuela.

According to Para 9 of the Lima Group’s Declaration on 4 Jan 2019, the thirteen states that are still members of this organization have denounced the military provocation of Venezuela which threatens peace and security in the region [1].

Then on Wednesday 9 January, Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, presented proof that his country’s territorial waters were violated on 22 December 2018. He denounced this as an international manoeuvre against Venezuela.

He has published videos and recordings of conversations between the captain of one of the two ships at issue and the Venezuelan Navy. In this exchange, the captain gives his precise location and he admits being in waters that are internationally recognized belong to Venezuela. The captain provides an authorization given only by the government of Guyana which had fallen just the day before. The Venezuelan Navy then invites him to leave Venezuela’s territorial waters.

This evidence negates the communication of ExxonMobil, the main supplier of oil to the Pentagon and the company previously led by Rex Tillerson (the former US Secretary of State of the Trump Administration) [2]. This evidence also robs the United Kingdom of any justification for its proposal to install a military base in Guyana. Finally it delays the war between the Latin American states that the Pentagon is preparing [3].

Venezuela has given the Lima Group just two days to withdraw para 9 of its declaration.