GUYANA-Military takes a humanitarian posture with Venezuelan migrants.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana’s military says it has taken a humanitarian posture with at least 45 Venezuelan migrants who arrived by boat at the Vergenoegen seashore, East Bank Essequibo, even while mounting an investigation to determine whether the migrants passed through the island of Grenada en route to Guyana, despite sharing a border.

Police here say that the immigrants, made up of men, women, and children, were processed using their identification cards and not passports before being released into the custody of family already settled here.

The police say they have teamed up with the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard to patrol the sea. “We’re monitoring the waterway with the Coast Guard,” the police officer said.

Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Omar Khan, said the military has taken a “humanitarian posture” to ensure “full documentation of all migrants.” He said investigations were underway to ascertain whether the Venezuelans came en route from Grenada.

“Geographically, Grenada, the country, is an unusual route,” he said, adding that “the investigators continue to work with the crew to determine accuracy.”

Brigadier Khan said after a citizen reported the arrival of Venezuelans by boat at Vergenoegen, “this report resulted in a quick response,” and appealed to more public members to provide authorities with similar information.

“We will continue to work our resources and also depend on citizens to report these events on sighting,” he said.

Guyana has extended support to Venezuelans fleeing their oil-rich country steeped under severe United States sanctions and economic blockades, even while the two governments fight over that strip of land and see in the Essequibo on Guyana’s side that Venezuela is laying claim to.

Venezuela’s National Assembly has recently voted to hold a referendum on that country’s territorial claim to the Essequibo Region after eight companies submitted bids for several offshore oil blocks.

Venezuela has said it will not recognize any deals struck with Guyana.