Venezuela Reasserts Essequibo Claim Through Independence-Era Legacy

By Staff, Agencies

Venezuela has renewed its claim to the resource-rich Essequibo region, grounding it in early statehood history. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Guayana Esequiba has been considered part of Venezuela since its founding, calling the issue inseparable from national identity.

Citing 1817, Gil emphasized that Simón Bolívar formally recognized the region as strategically essential to the emerging republic.

Bolívar’s order to add an eighth star to the Venezuelan flag, he said, was meant to reinforce territorial unity and underline sovereignty over Guayana Esequiba.

In a Telegram post, Gil wrote that on November 20, 1817, Bolívar decreed the eighth star “as explicit recognition of the military, economic, and political importance of Guayana during the independence struggle.”

He stressed that this was not symbolic, but helped consolidate the country’s sovereignty and cohesion.

Venezuelan officials argue that this historical foundation strengthens the nation’s ongoing territorial claim over the Essequibo.

Gil said references to the independence era demonstrate a “continuous and legitimate link” with the region, framing the dispute as originating with the birth of the republic rather than as a modern conflict.