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Seeking to increase its presence on its border with Venezuela and Guyana, and amid the escalating tension over the Essequibo, the Brazilian Army (EB) sent more troops to the north, keeping up with a strategic deployment initiated in early December. On January 13, some 14 Guaicurus armored vehicles, 18 other military land vehicles, as well as 50 service members, departed…
Nicolás Maduro’s revival of Venezuelan claims over two thirds of Guyana has placed this old dispute in the spotlight of South American geopolitics. More than a territorial disagreement, Maduro’s stance over the Essequibo threatens the security of the region, creating a potential risk of regional conflict. The shadow of Russia, according to Colombian daily The City Paper, adds complexity to…
Following the consultative referendum of December 3, the Nicolás Maduro regime is moving forward with its claim over the Essequibo region that belongs to neighbor Guyana. On January 13, the National Assembly began a second discussion on the Organic Law for the Defense of the Guayana Esequiba, which provides for the incorporation of that 160,000 square-kilometer-territory to Venezuela. “The Maduro…
The most important milestone in terms of citizen security in 2023 for Venezuela began on September 20, with the intervention of police and military forces in the Torocón Judicial Prison, in the state of Aragua. According to InSight Crime, an organization that studies organized crime in Latin America, this prison was the center of operations of the country’s main criminal…
The latest transnational journalistic investigation, led by the international investigative journalism organization Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in partnership with the Latin American Center of Investigative Journalism (CLIP) and various other Latin American organizations, highlights the deep involvement of the Venezuelan regime and its military in the drug trade. The project, released on November 6, began with a…
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has embarked on an aggressive campaign to annex some 160,000 square kilometers of territory belonging to Guyana, following the December 3 consultative referendum. The referendum sought to gauge the opinions of voters on five issues relating to a long-standing dispute between Venezuela and its eastern border neighbor. On the same day Elvis Amoroso, head of the National…
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro traveled to the People’s Republic of China hoping to get fresh cash to advance his populist agenda. Chinese President Xi Jinping received him during his five-day stay in September, signing 31 documents including pledges, agreements, and memorandums of understanding. Upon his return, Maduro could only offer the promise that one day he will send an astronaut into…
In the early morning hours of September 20, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro sent thousands of police officers and service members to the Judicial Prison of Aragua state. Better known as Tocorón, the prison, located 100 kilometers west of Caracas, has become the main center of operations of international mega-gang Tren de Aragua. “The [regime] knew what was going on there because…
As the territorial dispute over the Essequibo intensifies, Guyana, is putting its foot down, rejecting negotiations with Venezuela. “The time for negotiation is over. There will be no need for talks with Nicolás Maduro,” Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips said during an extraordinary session of the Guyanese Legislature in early November. “There will be no meeting between Maduro and [Guyanese]…
Guyana has asked the U.N.'s highest court to stop a Venezuelan referendum on whether or not to annex the oil-rich Essequibo region both South American nations lay claim to. Venezuela has for decades argued that the 160,000-square-kilometer (62,000-square-mile) region administered by Guyana should fall within its borders -— a contention that has brought the neighbors before the International Court of…
The regime of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro failed the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force’s (CFATF) latest mutual evaluation report, which described the country’s actions in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing as “deficient.” The CFATF is a multilateral institution that brings together 24 countries of the region, whose purpose is to supervise compliance with measures for the prevention of…
The ringleader of criminal organization Dinastía Alayón, a faction of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, was arrested in Peru along with 30 other alleged members of that gang, authorities in the South American country reported on October 5. “Resounding blow to the transnational criminal organization Dinastía Alayón - Tren de Aragua. Thirty one alleged members of this criminal organization have…
