Recently discovered oil is transforming Guyana's fortunes. But neighbouring Venezuela has suddenly rekindled old claims of territorial ownership. Official Venezuelan maps now incorporate the disputed Essequibo region that covers two-thirds of Guyana, and Venezuelan oil companies have been ordered to start extraction. In a December 3 non-binding referendum, Venezuelan voters backed Caracas's claim to Essequibo, despite low turnout. Later this week, the two countries' leaders are due to meet for talks. In Perspective, Christopher Sabatini, a Latin America expert at the Chatham House institute, explains what's at stake to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee.
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