GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AFP) — Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali told AFP Wednesday that plans by neighbour Venezuela to elect officials for the disputed oil-rich Essequibo border region in a weekend vote amounted to “a threat”.

“We are taking this very seriously. For us, this is a threat, and that is how we are addressing it,” the president said ahead of Venezuela’s gubernatorial and legislative elections Sunday.

Both countries lay claim to Essequibo, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and is home to 125,000 of its 800,000 citizens.

A centuries-old dispute has intensified since ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits a decade ago.

Caracas has since held a referendum asserting its claim to the territory, and has threatened to annex most of the region and make it Venezuela’s 24th state.

On Sunday, it plans to elect governors and lawmakers, including for Essequibo, though there will be no polling stations in the disputed territory.

The territorial dispute is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, which earlier this month ordered Venezuela to suspend plans to extend its election to Essequibo.

“We encourage the Venezuelan authorities to follow the orders of the ICJ and also to participate fully in the process and to respect the outcome,” Ali told AFP.

“We have the full support and assurances of the international community that they will support our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”