GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) 鈥� A Guyanese soldier was wounded following a gunfight with armed men in along the shared border, authorities said.
The Defense Force said in a statement that a patrol vessel on the Cuyuni River came under fire late Friday.
Venezuela’s government issued a statement on Saturday accusing Guyana of manipulation and of 鈥渇abricating a false narrative鈥� with the objective of 鈥減laying the victim.鈥�
The incident is the latest of several bloody clashes in recent years as tensions remain high over Venezuela鈥檚 claim to two-thirds of Guyana鈥檚 territory. A previous attack wounded eight Guyanese soldiers.
The two countries appeared earlier this month in The Hague for arguments in a dispute over a 62,000-square-mile (160,000-square-kilometer) territory that is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It鈥檚 also located near currently producing an average 900,000 barrels a day.
Venezuela鈥檚 acting President Delcy Rodr铆guez told judges in The Hague that political negotiations and not a judicial ruling will resolve the .
Venezuela considers Essequibo its territory because the region was within its boundaries during the colonial period. It claims that a 1966 Geneva agreement among Venezuela, Britain and then-British Guiana 鈥� now Guyana 鈥� nullified a border drawn in 1899 by international arbitrators.
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