US increasing urgent military aid to Guyana as Venezuela’s threats linger

GEORGETOWN (AP): THE US government is increasing its urgent military assistance to Guyana, officials said on Monday, as neighbouring Venezuela threatens to seize a large part of the country’s territory it has long claimed.

The US is pledging to help Guyana buy new aircraft, helicopters, a fleet of military drones and, for the first time, radar technology. The details were not immediately clear, and Guyanese officials declined to say how much they expect to pay.

Confirmation of the plan came a day after the US deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, and Western Hemisphere Senior Director Juan González met with authorities in Guyana about improving defence capabilities.

Their visit was the latest engagement by top defence and administration officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on improving Guyana’s ability to defend itself from external threats.

“That cooperation is fundamentally defensive in nature and grounded in our desire for Guyana to be able to defend its territorial integrity against any possible threats,” Finer told reporters late Sunday.

He added that “we do not think that it is appropriate for countries to make threats or to contemplate publicly the use of force against another country”. It was a veiled reference to Venezuela, which amassed a small number of troops along its eastern border late last year and threatened to annex Guyana’s mineral-rich Essequibo region, after holding a referendum to approve the annexation.

Tensions between the countries have cooled following talks mediated by Brazil and Caribbean leaders in December. A second round of talks involving foreign ministers was held in Brazil in late January to prepare for an upcoming summit between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

At the height of tensions, the US military assisted Guyana with overflight surveillance flights, and military advisers were present to help the Guyanese military, which is poorly equipped and has fewer than 5,000 troops for a country of some 800,000 people.

Guyana’s president has said his administration would soon buy a fleet of at least four US helicopters, along with drones, fixed-wing planes and other equipment.

Chief of Staff Brig General Omar Khan told The Associated Press on Monday that officials also would buy radar systems to improve air and sea domain awareness and capabilities.