CARICOM concerned over attacks on GDF ranks from Venezuelan territory

Jul 14, 2026 News

…urges Caracas to arrest perpetrators

(Kaieteur News) – The Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have expressed concern over Venezuelan territory being used to launch attacks on Guyana Defence Force (GDF) patrols along the Cuyuni River which borders Guyana and Venezuela.

CARICOM’s position was outlined in the communiqué issued at the conclusion of the 51^st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, held in Saint Lucia under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.

CARICOM concerned over attacks on GDF ranks from Venezuelan territory

GDF Coast Guard vessel

According to the statement, the heads of government received an update on the latest developments in the border case being adjudicated by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). They noted that the public hearings on the merits in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899 were held on 4-11 May 2026 and comprised two rounds of oral argument by Guyana and Venezuela.

The heads were also informed that the court will in due course deliver its judgment on the matter which will be final and binding on both parties, bringing the longstanding border controversy to an end.

The Caribbean leaders reaffirmed their full support to the ongoing judicial process as the means of resolving the controversy peacefully, finally and in accordance with international law, and reiterated their unequivocal and unwavering support for the maintenance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana.

Moreover, the heads also voiced concern that Venezuelan territory was being used to attack Guyanese security personnel operating within Guyana’s sovereign territory. It was stated that the regional leaders, “expressed their expectation that the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will apprehend the perpetrators and place them before the judicial authorities in Venezuela.”

The Government of Guyana had formally protested to Venezuela over what it describes as two “hostile attacks” by armed groups operating from the Venezuelan side of the border against Guyana Defence Force (GDF) patrols along the Cuyuni River earlier this year.

The note filed by John Barsa of Confidential Strategy with Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) on Tuesday April 28, 2026, detailed the two hostile attacks perpetrated by armed groups operating from the Venezuelan side of the border against members of the GDF along the Cuyuni River in the vicinity of Black Water, on two consecutive days, 20th April and 21st April, 2026.

According to the document, on 20th April 2026, at approximately 13:10 hours, a patrol travelling peacefully from Eteringbang to Makapa came under fire in the vicinity of Black Water along the Cuyuni River. The coordinates of the location of this unprovoked attack are 6°50’3.37″N – 60°38’57.53″W, the protest note detailed.

The gunshots originated from an armed group on the Venezuelan side of the border. The GDF reacted, in defence, with a measured response before continuing on its journey.

The document continued that “on 21st April, 2026, at approximately 16:25 hours, another peaceful GDF patrol traversing the Cuyuni River came under gunfire in the same area from members of an armed group on the Venezuelan side. Again, the GDF patrol exercised restraint and with measured defensive actions, the noted read. At approximately 16:35 hours, as the patrol traversed the same area on its return journey, it came under fire a second time from the armed group. “To this end”, the note related that Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wished “to condemn, in the strongest terms, the hostile and illegal attacks against ranks of the GDR carrying out their peaceful and lawful duties.”

The ministry had also called on Venezuela to conduct a full investigation into these incidents and to take appropriate measures to prevent Venezuelan territory from being used to carry out armed attacks against Guyanese military or civilian personnel that threaten their lives, impede the lawful activities of the Government of Guyana, and undermine the peace and security of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. It also requested that the Government of Venezuela puts in place effective measures to prevent any reoccurrence of such attacks and to avoid any further harm to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

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CARICOM, Cuyuni River, Guyana Defence Force, Venezuelan territory

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