GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AFP) — Guyana’s president said Thursday his country was still on alert over “the threat” from Venezuela over the oil-rich Essequibo region, even after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro by the United States (US).

The region has been administered by Guyana for more than a century, but is the subject of a long-running border dispute with Venezuela.

Maduro’s calls to annex the territory raised fears of armed conflict.

The Venezuelan leader was ousted in a US military operation in January, but “the present situation in Venezuela does not remove or diminish the threat to Guyana’s territory,” President Irfaan Ali said.

Speaking to Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officers at the opening of their annual conference, Ali said his country could not afford to “drop its guard.”

Tensions between the South American neighbours have intensified since ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits in Essequibo a decade ago and reached a fever pitch in 2023 when Guyana started auctioning off oil blocks.

Venezuela is currently run by an interim government led by Delcy Rodriguez, who had served as Maduro’s vice-president.

Rodriguez has moved quickly to privatise the country’s oil sector, in line with US demands, and to release large numbers of political prisoners.

When Maduro was in power, Washington backed Guyana in the dispute and warned Caracas against escalation.

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said in an earnings call last week, the US company is eyeing more opportunities in the Stabroek block, located offshore from Essequibo, now that there are “less (Venezuelan) naval patrols” in the disputed waters.