Trending Now - Venezuela to Present Case for Mineral-rich Guyana Region at UN

WHO:

ABC News World - Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez

AP News - Guyanese Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd

WHAT:

ABC News World - Rodríguez is defending Venezuela's claim to a mineral- and oil-rich region in western Guyana.

AP News - The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is holding hearings regarding the territorial dispute over Essequibo, a territory of nearly 62,000 square miles.

AP News - Venezuela has claimed Essequibo since the Spanish colonial period.

AP News - The final court hearing with Rodríguez’s appearance will take place on Monday.

AP News - Guyana brought the case to the ICJ in 2018 to confirm the validity of the 1899 ruling.

WHERE:

ABC News World - The hearings are taking place at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

AP News - Essequibo is located in western Guyana.

WHEN:

AP News - The final court hearing is scheduled for Monday.

WHY:

AP News - Venezuela argues that a 1966 agreement nullified the 19th-century arbitration that favored Guyana.

AP News - Guyana states that the dispute has been a blight on its existence as a sovereign state.

HOW:

AP News - Venezuela's participation in the hearings does not imply consent to or recognition of the ICJ’s jurisdiction.

(UPDATED May 11, 2026 06:14 UTC)

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez is currently defending her country's claim to the mineral- and oil-rich Essequibo region in western Guyana during hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This territorial dispute, which Venezuela has claimed since the Spanish colonial period, has been brought to the ICJ by Guyana, which seeks to confirm the validity of a 1899 ruling that favored its sovereignty over the area. The final court hearing featuring Rodríguez is scheduled for Monday, and while Venezuela is participating, it does not imply consent to or recognition of the ICJ’s jurisdiction.