The Latest Breaking News from Essequibo

The 2,300-metre (7,550-foot) mountain -- known as a tepui -- looms over the tiny village of Arau, whose residents reject a claim from Caracas that their land belongs to Venezuela, which has sparked fears of a potential conflict.

A freshly planted Guyanese flag flaps on the summit of a table-top mountain rising from thick forests in a remote region near the Venezuelan border.

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…

Tension has soared over Essequibo, which has historically been controlled by Guyana, since Maduro's government held a controversial referendum last weekend in which 95 percent of voters supported declaring Venezuela its rightful owner, according to official results.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, will meet Thursday on their countries' growing dispute over the oil-rich region of Essequibo, amid mounting international warnings against escalating the row.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged his counterpart Nicolas Maduro Saturday against escalating Venezuela's border row with neighboring Guyana, as South American leaders nervously monitored the deepening dispute.

A century-old territorial dispute is boiling over between neighbors Guyana and Venezuela

The United Nations Security Council took no immediate action at a closed emergency meeting requested by Guyana following Venezuela’s recent referendum claiming the vast oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region that makes up a large part of its neighbor

The discovery of vast oil deposits is blamed for reigniting a decades-old territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana that fast worsened as Guyana started granting licenses to multinationals to exploit crude in waters claimed by both countries.

The US air force has taken the unusual step of holding joint drills with Guyana as the United Nations scheduled an emergency meeting of the security council to discuss Venezuela’s threat to annex more than two-thirds of the oil-rich South American country.

The United States announced joint military flight drills in Guyana on Thursday as soaring tensions over a contested oil-rich region with neighbor Venezuela prompted the UN Security Council to call an urgent meeting.