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Ankoko Island ('' es, Isla de Anacoco'') is an island located at the
File:Isla de Anacoco caño Brazo Negro del río Cuyuní.jpg, Caño "Brazo Negro" that emerges from the main channel of the Cuyuní River to the North and forms the island of Anacoco (in the background).
File:Isla de Anacoco Bienvenida.jpg, Entrance to the military post of the Venezuelan army on the island of Anacoco through the Caño "Brazo Negro".
File:Isla de Anacoco Puesto Militar.jpg, Venezuelan military post on the island of Anacoco.
Ankoko Island ('' es, Isla de Anacoco'') is an island located at the confluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the Cuyuni River and Wenamu River, at , on the border between Venezuela and the disputed area of Guayana Esequiba
(), sometimes also called or Essequibo, is a disputed territory of west of the Essequibo River that is administered and controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela.
.
Venezuela, which claims Guayana Esequiba as part of its territory, established a military base on the island in 1966, which Guyana claims as intrusion and aggression on a territory whose sovereignty was never under discussion.
History
Venezuelan occupation
In February 1966, the governments ofVenezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
and Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
signed the Geneva Agreement aimed at resolving the controversy over the Guayana Esequiba
(), sometimes also called or Essequibo, is a disputed territory of west of the Essequibo River that is administered and controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela.
territorial dispute.
Five months after Guyana's independence from the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
, Venezuelan troops began their occupation of Ankoko Island and surrounding islands in October 1966. Venezuelan troops quickly constructed military installations and an airstrip.
Subsequently, on the morning of the 14 October 1966, Forbes Burnham
Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham (20 February 1923 – 6 August 1985) was a Guyanese politician and the leader of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana from 1964 until his death in 1985. He served as Prime Minister of Guyana, Prime Minister from 1964 ...
, as Prime Minister and Minister of External Affairs of Guyana, dispatched a protest to the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, , demanding the immediate withdrawal of Venezuelan troops and the removal of installations they had established. Venezuelan minister Ignacio Iribarren Borges replied stating "the Government of Venezuela rejects the aforementioned protest, because Anacoco Island is Venezuelan territory in its entirety and the Republic of Venezuela has always been in possession of it". The island remains under Venezuelan administration, where a Venezuelan airport and a military base operate.
Recent history
During theVenezuelan presidential crisis
The Venezuelan presidential crisis is an ongoing political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela; the office of the president has been contested since 10 January 2019, with the nation and the world divide ...
, interim president Juan Guaidó
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician, a former member of the social-democratic Popular Will party, and federal deputy to the National Assembly representing the state of Vargas. On 23 January 2019, Guaid� ...
and the National Assembly of Venezuela
The National Assembly ( es, Asamblea Nacional) is the legislature for Venezuela that was first elected in 2000. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who were elected by a "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vo ...
renewed territory disputes with Guyana regarding sovereignty of the island. Specifically when National Assembly deputies visited the island "as an act of ratification of Venezuelan sovereignty over the area".
See also
*Guayana Esequiba
(), sometimes also called or Essequibo, is a disputed territory of west of the Essequibo River that is administered and controlled by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela.
*British Guiana
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
The first European to encounter Guiana was ...
*Corocoro Island
Corocoro Island (Isla Corocoro) is an island near the mouth of the Amacuro River and in the delta of the Barima River in South America. The northernmost part of the land border between Guyana and Venezuela runs through the island. It is one of the ...
* Güepí
References
{{Coord, 6, 43, N, 61, 8, W, display=title River islands of Venezuela Territorial disputes of Venezuela Territorial disputes of Guyana International islands