Military helicopter carrying five senior Guyana military officials is MISSING in region disputed with Venezuela – as president of former British colony appeals to America for help to repel invasion and Brazil sends troops to border

A military helicopter carrying five senior Guyanese officials and two crew members disappeared on Wednesday in stormy weather near Guyana’s disputed border with Venezuela as the president of the former British colony said he had secured support from the US, UK and UN to ensure they security from an “outlaw nation.”

Venezuela on Sunday held a referendum asking its citizens whether they want to revive historic claims to a region of Guyana rich in minerals and oil.

President Nicolas Maduro has announced that his country overwhelmingly believes the area – Essequibo – belongs to Venezuela, and on Tuesday he unveiled a new map for official government purposes showing the two-thirds of Guyana annexed to Caracas.

On Wednesday, the Guyana military deployed a new Bell 412 EPI aircraft to the border region, carrying five senior officials.

It refueled at the Olive Creek community in western Guyana, then took off and disappeared into a remote jungle area.

Army chief Brigadier Omar Khan said there was no indication the helicopter was shot down by their weapon-rattling neighbor to the north.

“We do not have any information to suggest that there was any flight of Venezuelan aircraft in the area,” Khan said.

“Speculation is not what I want to do. Our priority is to save the lives of our officers and men.”

He said the U.S. government would help with the search when it resumed Thursday.

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said Tuesday night he had raised the “dangerous developments” with allies including the United States, Brazil, which borders Guyana and Venezuela, and Britain.

Guyana was a British territory until independence in 1966 and remains a member of the Commonwealth—the only Commonwealth country in South America and the only English-speaking country.

Ali said Maduro’s threat to annex two-thirds of his country, an area roughly the size of Florida, was a flagrant violation of international law.

“This is a direct threat to the territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of Guyana, and a violation of fundamental principles of international law,” Ali said in an address to the nation on Tuesday evening.

Venezuela has laid claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region for more than 100 years, ever since the modern country’s border was drawn in 1899.

Their interest was revived by the discovery of oil in the remote jungle.

On December 1, two days before the Venezuelan referendum, the UN court, the International Court of Justice, warned Venezuela to “refrain from any action that could change the situation that currently prevails” in the Essequibo region.

Ali said that Venezuela ignored the demand of the International Court of Justice.

“The measures announced are in blatant disregard of the orders of the International Court of Justice dated December 1, 2023,” Ali said.

“Guyana views this as an immediate threat to its territorial integrity and will increase precautions to protect its territory.”

He accused Maduro of acting in “open violation of the International Court of Justice” and accused Venezuela of being an “outlaw nation.”

“By ignoring the court, Venezuela has rejected international law; the rule of law in general, fundamental justice and morality; and maintaining international peace and security,” he said.

“They literally declared themselves an outlaw nation.”

Ali said Maduro was “testing the mettle of the International Court of Justice.”

“He has followed a lonely and troubling path, neglecting his responsibility as a member of the UN family,” Ali said.

“An adventurous and reckless path that can only bring instability to the region and create even more uncertain conditions for the Venezuelan people.”

He concluded: “We call on President Maduro to rethink these steps and behave in accordance with international law.

“We want nothing: our only goal is for this region to remain a zone of peace and for Guyana’s territorial integrity to be respected. We ask for nothing more or less.”

The Venezuelan government condemned Ali’s statement, accusing Guyana of acting irresponsibly and giving the US Southern Command the green light to enter the Essequibo region.

Venezuela called on Guyana to abandon its “erratic, threatening and risky behavior.”

Venezuela’s military, backed by Russia, Iran and Cuba, vastly outnumbers tiny Guyana: Venezuela’s armed forces number 123,000 active-duty troops versus just 3,400 in Guyana, according to an analysis by Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

Guyana is also outgunned by Venezuela, with Venezuela having 514 armored vehicles compared to Guyana’s six.

But military analysts say decades of mismanagement by the embattled socialist regime have significantly weakened Venezuela’s capabilities.

Igor Gelov, a military expert quoted by the newspaper, said only about half of the fleet of 24 Russian-made Su-30 fighter jets were considered airworthy.

“But even as a paper tiger, Venezuela is a colossus compared to Guyana,” Gilou said.

He said the logistics of an invasion would be difficult.

“Much of the 800-kilometer border between Venezuela and Esequiba consists of dense jungle that is impassable except for small units,” he said, adding that it was impossible to use armored vehicles in the swampy tropical terrain.

“The most logical option for dictator Nicolas Maduro is a combination of an air attack on several urban centers of Esequiba and an amphibious landing in the Caribbean,” he said.

Such an attack would provoke a strong international response, with a leading role likely to be played by Brazil, which borders both Venezuela and Guyana and whose armed forces are significantly larger and more professional than those of both countries.

In late November, Brazil’s defense ministry said it had “intensified defensive actions” along its northern border.

“The Ministry of Defense is monitoring the situation. Defensive actions have been strengthened in the country’s northern border region, contributing to an increase in military presence,” the statement said.