NETHERLANDS-VENEZUELA-DIPLOMACY-JUSTICE

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez looks on as she speaks with journalists following a session at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Essequibo region in the Hague on may 11, 2026. Guyana and Venezuela have been wrangling over the region since the 1800s, with the conflict intensifying after ExxonMobil discovered massive offshore oil deposits a decade ago, giving Guyana the largest crude oil reserves per capita in the world. Neighboring Venezuela, however, claims the territory, which runs roughly along the western side of an eponymous river over an area of 160,000 square kilometres (62,000 square miles). ICJ judges have been asked to rule on the validity of the border established between the two countries in 1899 under British colonial rule. (Photo by Bart Maat / ANP / AFP via Getty Images) / Netherlands OUT