Venezuelans rally in support of Maduro’s claims to Guyana territory

Venezuelans are tweeting in support of their government’s claims to an area that comprises two-thirds of neighbouring Guyana. 

The dispute over Guyana’s Essequibo region heated up in recent months after ExxonMobil announced it had discovered a significant amount of oil off the Guyanese coast. Since then, Venezuela, which has long claimed the territory, said it will stop buying rice from Guyana and request mediation from the the UN. President Nicolas Maduro also recalled Venezuela’s ambassador to Guyana.

Prominent Venezuelans and others on Twitter posted with #EsequiboReclamoJusto (Essequibo Claim Just), which has been used more than 24,000 times in the past day.