[1] Venezuela claimed more than half of the territory of the British colony of Guyana at the time of the Latin American wars of independence.

[2] In 1962 Venezuela declared that it would no longer abide by the arbitration decision, which ceded mineral-rich territory in the Orinoco basin to Guyana.

A border commission was set up in 1966 with representatives from Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom, but failed to reach agreement.

[6] In 2013 the Venezuelan navy seized an oil exploration vessel operating in disputed waters claimed as Exclusive Economic Zones by both Venezuela and Guyana.

[2] On 21 January 2021, 12 fishermen were detained by Venezuelan naval troops operated in the Waini River, arbitrated to be inside Guyanese territory.

[11][12] In September 2022, the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro published a photo of the Kaieteur Falls, the world's largest single-drop waterfall and Guyana's main tourist attraction, on social media with a map including Essequibo in Venezuela.

[17][19] The electoral authority purportedly posted and later deleted a photo showing 2 million votes for each of the five question, suggesting a turnout of 10%.

[21] In November 2023, Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Anthony Phillips took the case to the Organization of American States (OAS) where he accused Venezuela of a military buildup near the Essequibo border, and warned of the consequences of it for Guyana's sovereignty.

OAS' Secretary-General Luis Almagro, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the United States government expressed their support for Guyana.