Walton-Desir Demands Urgent Action as Venezuela Defies ICJ, Gov’t Stalls on Border Crisis

Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amanza Walton-Desir has issued a sharp call to action, demanding the immediate activation of Guyana’s long-inactive Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Foreign Relations in the wake of Venezuela’s open defiance of a binding International Court of Justice (ICJ) order.

On May 1, 2025, the ICJ reaffirmed previous provisional measures and issued a new directive ordering Venezuela to halt all electoral activity in Essequibo—territory long recognised under international law as part of Guyana. The ruling reasserts Guyana’s legal authority over the area, which was awarded to then-British Guiana under the 1899 Arbitral Award. That decision was accepted by both Venezuela and Britain at the time as a “full, perfect, and final settlement” of the territorial dispute.

Despite the court’s clear and binding ruling, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has publicly disregarded the decision, declaring that his government will proceed with plans to hold elections for a Governor and Legislative Council for the so-called “Guayana Esequiba.” The announcement is being widely condemned as a brazen provocation and a deliberate violation of international law.

Walton-Desir did not mince words, condemning Venezuela’s actions as a “gross violation of international law” and a “direct threat” to Guyana’s sovereignty. She warned that the Irfaan Ali administration’s failure to urgently mobilise the parliamentary mechanisms intended to address such crises amounts to a dangerous dereliction of duty.

“This is not merely a legal or diplomatic matter—it is a test of our national resolve and institutional readiness,” Walton-Desir asserted. The fact that the Foreign Relations Committee remains dormant in the face of such a clear threat is inexcusable.

While Walton-Desir stopped short of directly accusing the government of indifference, there is mounting public frustration over what many perceive as President Irfaan Ali’s passive and exclusionary approach to the escalating controversy. Critics argue that the lack of bipartisan coordination and public engagement is undermining Guyana’s ability to present a unified front in defense of its territory.