Renewed Tensions: Gunfire Sparks Cross-Border Strain in Guyana-Venezuela Dispute

Six soldiers from Guyana were injured during a gunfire incident with armed men from Venezuela, escalating tensions between the two countries. The incident, which left two soldiers critically injured, is part of an ongoing border dispute over the mineral-rich Essequibo region. Venezuela denies the attack, calling it false propaganda.

In a development expected to further escalate tensions between Guyana and Venezuela, six Guyanese soldiers were injured when armed individuals from Venezuela opened fire. Officials report that two soldiers are in critical condition after the attack, according to Brig Gen Omar Khan, the Chief of Staff of Guyana's army, who attributed the assault to suspected gang members.

The soldiers were on a supply mission along the Cuyuni river when they encountered armed individuals across the border on the Venezuelan side. An exchange of fire ensued, but it remains unclear if there were any casualties among the attackers, according to the Guyana Defense Force. The injured soldiers have been transported to Georgetown, the capital, for treatment.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused his Guyanese peer, Hugh Hilton Tod, of disseminating a 'false, hostile, and malicious narrative' about an alleged attack, dismissing the claims as a 'false-flag operation and fake news.' The confrontation is part of wider disputes over the Essequibo region, a mineral-rich area that Venezuela claims as its own, following an unresolved disagreement stemming from an 1890s boundary commission decision.

(With inputs from agencies.)