Brazil has begun mobilization of troops to aid Guyana, and this has soured relations with Colombia that Venezuela has been working hard at building.
Brazil’s Minister of Defense, José Múcio, stressed Wednesday that the Armed Forces will “guarantee” security on the triple border the country shares with Venezuela and Guyana in the state of Roraima, whose territory will not be used by troops from any foreign country. “Brazil has to guarantee its borders and our borders are more than guaranteed. We will not allow it. That I assure you”, emphasized the Minister of Defense when asked about the latest developments related to the territorial conflict between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region. Minister Múcio’s assessment lies in the fact that the disputed region divides Venezuela and Guyana through lush jungles, so that the least costly access would be by sea or through Brazilian territory, for which reason the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has already ordered to reinforce the military presence there. The Minister of Defense announced this week that by order of President Lula he had doubled the number of military troops deployed to this border, from the initial 70,000 to 130,000, in addition to sending some twenty armored vehicles. Lula da Silva already conveyed to the Venezuelan side that Brazil “would not support any foolish gesture” in this matter during the visit of presidential advisor Celso Amorim to Caracas a few days ago, according to the Brazilian news portal G1. The territorial dispute dates back to the 19th century, when a
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