Georgetown – Even as diplomats trade barbs and presidents issue stern broadcasts, lesser-known officials are laboring quietly to keep the 730-kilometre Guyana-Venezuela border calm. These “backchannel” conversations—revived during the 2023 crisis—function like pressure valves, preventing misunderstandings from becoming incidents.
Conversation Without Negotiation
Facilitated by the UN Resident Coordinator’s office and monitored by CARICOM, the mechanism involves technical officers—customs, forestry, coast guard—sharing information on activities that might otherwise be misconstrued. “If Guyanese rangers plan a patrol near the Cuyuni, they send coordinates through the UN to Venezuelan counterparts,” explains a diplomat close to the process. “It’s transparency, not concession.”
Four Avoided Incidents
UN memos seen by the Mirror detail four potential flashpoints since January:
- A Venezuelan gunboat shadowing a Guyanese dredge barge withdrew after radio clarification.
- A dispute over illegal mining huts resolved with coordinated inspections.
- A medevac flight for a Venezuelan Indigenous villager received expedited Guyana over-flight clearance.
- Livestock rustling allegations settled through a joint veterinary mission.
Limitations
The backchannel does not discuss sovereignty or maritime boundaries; those are reserved for the ICJ. Nor does it involve political appointees—only career professionals. Still, some hawks in Caracas deride the talks as “soft diplomacy.” Guyanese hardliners worry they could be exploited. President Ali counters: “Communication prevents miscalculation. It does not replace our legal rights.”
International Precedent
Similar systems existed during the Cold War (U.S.-Soviet “incidents at sea” hotline) and currently on the India-Pakistan Line of Control. “Confidence-building is textbook conflict-management,” notes security scholar Dr. Ivelaw Griffith.
Maintaining those lines may prove invaluable as the Essequibo dispute heads into its most delicate legal phase. In geopolitics, the quiet rooms often matter as much as the grand podiums.
