evidence: Essequibo is primarily a hinterland forest, similar in makeup to Guyana as a whole. The terrain also encompasses highlands, savannas, and low coastal plains. This biodiverse ecoregion contains an abundance of natural resources, including hydrocarbons and precious metals. The longest of Guyana’s rivers, the Essequibo River rises in the Acaraí Mountains and flows northward for some 630 miles (1,010 km) before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest river between the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and is paralleled on the east by the Demerara River for a relatively short distance. The Essequibo River’s freshwater habitat is home to many species of wildlife, including 58 endemic fish species. [...] Tensions escalated in September 2023, when Guyana held an auction for oil exploration licenses. Maduro then heightened the political brinksmanship by scheduling a consultative referendum, which asked Venezuelans whether the country should reject the ICJ’s jurisdiction in the territorial dispute and incorporate Essequibo as a Venezuelan state to be named Guyana Esequiba. On December 1, 2023, two days before the referendum vote, the ICJ prohibited Venezuela from taking action that would change the status quo in Essequibo. Although voter turnout appeared to be low—notwithstanding the National Electoral Council’s claim that more than half of the electorate had participated—the majority of those who did vote endorsed Venezuela’s claim to sovereignty over Essequibo. Maduro followed with an order for the state oil company to issue extraction licenses for Essequibo and proposed that Venezuela’s National Assembly pass a bill to annex the disputed territory.