Venezuela Submits Final Written Pleading in Border Controversy Case at ICJ

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has confirmed that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela submitted its Rejoinder on August 11, 2025, in the longstanding border case brought by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. This latest filing marks the final written stage in the proceedings over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that established the boundary between the two countries.

The case was formally filed with the ICJ in 2018 by the then David Granger/Moses Nagamootoo-led A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government. Guyana turned to the Court following decades of diplomatic impasse, after Venezuela renewed its claim to the mineral-rich Essequibo region—a territory making up nearly two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass.

At the heart of the controversy is the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899, which definitively demarcated the boundary between what was then British Guiana and Venezuela. While the award was accepted by both sides and implemented for decades, Venezuela in 1962 declared it null and void, alleging collusion and fraud—claims Guyana has consistently rejected.

According to a press release issued by Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Rejoinder was filed within the deadline set by the ICJ in its Order of June 14, 2024. It directly responds to Guyana’s Reply, which was submitted in December 2024.

With written submissions now complete, the ICJ is expected to schedule oral hearings on the merits of the case following its summer recess. A final judgment will be delivered thereafter. As with all ICJ rulings, the decision will be binding on both parties under international law.

In welcoming Venezuela’s Rejoinder, the Guyanese Government emphasised that the Court will now have before it all the factual and legal arguments needed to render “a fully authoritative and incontestable” judgment.

Guyana reiterated its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the controversy through the ICJ, which it described as “the world’s highest and most respected judicial authority.” The oral hearings are expected to be announced in the coming months.