Govt. will maintain military presence at borders to monitor movements

Jan 13, 2023 News

– Army Chief tells Venezuelan Ambassador

Kaieteur News – Army Chief, Brigadier Godfrey Bess on Tuesday assured that heavy military presence will be maintained at all of Guyana’s borders with Venezuela to monitor movements between the two countries.

The Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Chief of Staff was at the time meeting with newly appointed Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Amador Pèrez Silva during a courtesy call at GDF’s conference room.

“…He [Bess] communicated the Force’s intention to maintain its presence on the frontier to monitor all cross-border movements”, GDF stated in a press release published on its Facebook page.

Guyana’s Army Chief, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and the newly appointed Ambassador, Carlos Amador Pèrez Silva.

The government has always had some military presence at its borders with Venezuela but the severe economic crisis in the neighbouring country has caused thousands of Venezuelans to flee. Hundreds of Venezuelans enter Guyana almost every month and it has caused a massive increase in movement at the country’s borders.

During the courtesy call, Bess told the Venezuelan Ambassador that the Guyana government will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan immigrants.

However, it has been highlighted by the local press that with the increase of movements at the borders, criminal and illegal activities have been increasing too and this has prompted the government to increase its military presence at these locations.

The “beefing up of security” at the borders began in 2018 under the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition administration after reports began surfacing that Venezuelan gangs known as “Sindicatos” have been terrorizing Guyanese working in these areas.

The situation had become even more tense after a police Corporal of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Quincy Alexander, was shot by one of the gang members in the Cuyuni River Region, Seven.

Since then, there have been continuous reports of Venezuelan criminal gangs targeting Guyanese – especially at the Eteringbang border location – forcing the government to maintain heavy military presence in the areas.

In December 2022, the Police Force and GDF were forced to increase their presence at Five Star Backdam, North West District, Region One – an area located close to the Venezuelan Border of Imataka- after reports surfaced that there was an alleged invasion by a Venezuelan gang.

Ranks sent to the area found no evidence of a gang invasion but have chosen to continuously monitor the area if the possibility exists that “criminal elements” fleeing Venezuelan authorities could cross the borders to hide out in Guyana.

Guyana beefs up presence at Venezuelan border after army, police ranks come under fire

Police, GDF beef up security at Five Star Backdam as reports of Venezuelan gang invasion surface

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Amador Pèrez Silva., Borders, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, gangs, Military, Venezuela

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