Maduro Calls for Creation of Venezuela's 24th State in Disputed Territory with Guyana

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has called on the country's National Assembly to adopt an organic law to defend the contested Guyana-Esequibo territory, which would establish a new Venezuelan state west of the Esequibo River.

“One of the main objectives of the organic law for the protection of Guyana-Esequibo is to implement this solution, which has been the dream of many generations of Venezuelans and to forever create the 24th state of Venezuela: the state of Guyana-Esequibo,” Maduro said during a meeting of the federal government council, which his administration broadcast on social networks.

He also announced the launch of a social support program for the entire population of Esequibo, a census, the issuance of identity cards, and the opening of an Alzheimer’s clinic in the town of Tumeremo in Venezuela's Bolívar state. “To coordinate all these efforts to identify the residents, I also propose to prepare a special law,” Maduro stated.

The area east of the Esequibo River, which has been part of the Guyana region for the past 100 years, will be divided into three development zones, according to the state leader, who noted it will be governed from the town of Tumeremo. Major General Rodríguez Cabello has been temporarily appointed as head of the military and administrative headquarters for Guyana-Esequibo.

The President urged lawmakers to adopt a “good, beautiful law.” He also showcased a new map of the country that includes the Esequibo region.