The International Court of Justice [8] opened oral hearings [9] May 4 on the merits of a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region, with Guyana asking the court to declare that Venezuela has no legitimate claim to the oil-rich territory that constitutes some two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass.
The hearings, scheduled to run from May 4-11 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, mark the most consequential phase yet in a case Guyana filed in March 2018 seeking a final, binding ruling that the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 [12], which established the boundary between what was then the colony of British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid under international law. Guyana opened proceeding with its first round of oral arguments Monday morning, with a second round scheduled for Friday. Venezuela is expected to present its arguments next week.
The dispute dates to the second half of the nineteenth century, when the United Kingdom and Venezuela both claimed the territory between the Essequibo and Orinoco rivers. An international tribunal of British, American and Russian arbitrators unanimously awarded the territory to British Guiana in 1899, and a subsequent 1905 boundary agreement adhered to that decision. Venezuela accepted the boundary for more than 60 years before reversing its position on the eve of Guyana's independence in 1966, arguing that the award was a product of collusion between British and Russian arbitrators.
The ICJ already ruled twice that it has jurisdiction to hear the case. In December 2020, the court affirmed its jurisdiction [13], and in April 2023 it rejected Venezuela’s preliminary objection [14] to admissibility, clearing the path to the current merits phase. The court also issued provisional measures ordering Venezuela to refrain [14] from any action [15] that would alter Guyana’s administration and control of the disputed territory. In May 2025, the court strengthened those measures by ordering Venezuela not to conduct or prepare elections in the region.
Venezuela has repeatedly defied the court’s authority. In December 2023, the Venezuelan government held a consultative referendum [16] in which voters endorsed the creation of a "Guayana Esequiba" state. In April 2024, President Nicolas Maduro promulgated [17] an "Organic Law in Defense of Guayana Esequiba [18]," purporting to formally incorporate the Essequibo into Venezuelan territory, create administrative units for oil and mineral exploitation there, and establish legislative and executive offices. Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed the role after the US military operation that led to Maduro's capture earlier this year, stated in August 2025 that Venezuela would ignore the ICJ's final ruling [10].
Tensions mounted in the weeks leading up to the hearings. Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali wrote to [19] Caribbean Community (CARICOM) chairman Terrance Drew protesting a brooch worn by Rodriguez during visits to Grenada and Barbados that depicted a map of Venezuela including Essequibo, calling it a “calculated and provocative assertion” of Venezuela’s territorial claim. CARICOM cautioned [20] member states against using diplomatic engagements within the Community to legitimize claims currently before the court.
Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs [21] said the country approaches the hearings with full confidence in the strength of its case. The government has received support from CARICOM, the Commonwealth, the European Union, and the Organization of American States. Guyana currently produces approximately 750,000 barrels of oil per day, largely from reserves in and around the Essequibo region, making the court’s eventual ruling one of the highest-stakes territorial decisions in recent ICJ history.
From JURIST [22], May 4. Used with permission.
See also our podcast "Geopolitics of the Essequibo dispute [23]"
