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last mo.

Venezuela Rejects World Court's Authority as Essequibo Hearings End

The case will decide whether an 1899 arbitral award or a 1966 Geneva pact sets the Guyana–Venezuela border.

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FILE - Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez waves after bidding farewell to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright following their meeting at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
Presiding Judge Yuji Iwasawa, fifth right, opens the court session of the International Court of Justice for a week of hearings in a border dispute dating back to the end of the 19th century between Guyana and Venezuela, in The Hague, Netherlands, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
FILE - The Essequibo River flows through Kurupukari crossing in Guyana, Nov. 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Juan Pablo Arraez, File)

Overview

  • Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who addressed the International Court of Justice on Monday, said she would not recognize its jurisdiction and urged direct talks with Guyana.
  • The weeklong hearings capped Guyana’s 2018 filing that asks judges to uphold the 1899 boundary, while Venezuela argues a 1966 agreement nullified that earlier award.
  • The court is expected to take months or longer to rule, and its decisions are binding yet hard to enforce, as shown when Venezuela proceeded with a vote the judges had ordered suspended.
  • The Essequibo region makes up nearly two-thirds of Guyana and lies near huge offshore oil finds by ExxonMobil, which heightens the stakes over land control and resource revenue.
  • Guyana continues to administer Essequibo, and its foreign minister told the judges the case is existential because more than 70% of the country’s land is at issue.