Guyana Strengthens Defense Systems As Tensions With Neighboring Venezuela Linger

Guyana announced it added radars, military planes and vessels to its defenses as tensions with neighboring Venezuela linger on.

President Irfaan Ali noted that the equipment has been provided by France and is part of a broader effort to address threats by the Venezuelan regime, which has signaled its intention of taking over the Essequibo, an oil-rich territory that represents two-thirds of the country and Caracas claims as its own.

Cedric Perrin, head of the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee in the French Senate said the country is the only one "capable of helping."

Guyana has also expressed its support for the U.S.'s military actions in the Caribbean, which have been aimed at pressuring the Maduro regime and targeted vessels the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs.

During his second-term inauguration in early September, Irfaan Ali welcomed a U.S. military flyover and said the cooperation was intended to "eliminate any threat to our security" while maintaining the region as a "zone of peace."

Venezuelan authorities, in contrast, warned that the country would respond in "legitimate defense" to any attack launched from Guyana. He also targeted Trinidad and Tobago, which expressed support for the U.S. as well.

"If they (United States) attack us from your territory, you will also receive a response, and that is in legitimate defense," Padrino said in remarks shared on his Telegram account. He also claimed both governments were acting on instructions from Washington, as France 24 points out.

His comments echo those made by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who also accused the two countries of being "vassals of the U.S. Department of War" and warned them not to participate in what she described as "plans of aggression" against Venezuela. "Do not dare. Do not even think about it," she said.