"The escalating territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over oil-rich Essequibo"

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered state-owned companies to immediately begin exploring and exploiting oil, gas, and mineral resources in Guyana's Essequibo region, which Venezuela claims as its own. This comes after Maduro's victory in a referendum on claiming sovereignty over the territory. Guyana, which considers Essequibo its own, has denounced Venezuela's actions and appealed to the International Court of Justice. The court has ordered Venezuela not to change the status quo until it can rule on the competing claims.