Guyana expects ICJ ruling in Venezuela border case early next year
Key Points(5)
- Guyana is expecting the International Court of Justice to deliver a ruling early next year in its long-running border dispute with Venezuela, with President Irfaan Ali expressing confidence in the country's case over the Essequibo region.
- The case is now fully before the ICJ following the conclusion of oral hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague on May 11.
- “We are hoping that early in the new year, there will be a ruling at the ICJ; we are very confident,” Ali said in a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera.
- Guyana's government said in June that all that remains is for the court to deliberate, draft its judgment and deliver the decision in a public session.
- The ICJ has historically completed that process within six to eight months of the close of hearings, according to the government, placing a possible ruling between November 2026 and January 2027.
Guyana is expecting the International Court of Justice to deliver a ruling early next year in its long-running border dispute with Venezuela, with President Irfaan Ali expressing confidence in the country's case over the Essequibo region.
The case is now fully before the ICJ following the conclusion of oral hearings at the Peace Palace in The Hague on May 11.
“We are hoping that early in the new year, there will be a ruling at the ICJ; we are very confident,” Ali said in a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera.
Guyana's government said in June that all that remains is for the court to deliberate, draft its judgment and deliver the decision in a public session.
The ICJ has historically completed that process within six to eight months of the close of hearings, according to the government, placing a possible ruling between November 2026 and January 2027.
Guyana filed the case in 2018, seeking confirmation that the 1899 Arbitral Award establishing the boundary between then-British Guiana and Venezuela is valid and binding under international law.
The ICJ ruled in 2020 that it had jurisdiction over the case and rejected a further Venezuelan objection in 2023. The court has also granted Guyana's requests for provisional measures, most recently ordering Venezuela in 2025 not to conduct elections in the disputed Essequibo territory.
Venezuela has continued to reject the ICJ's authority over the dispute, maintaining during oral hearings in May that its territorial claim predates and stands apart from the court process.
Asked about Venezuela's position, Ali said Guyana remained confident in its case.
“Those are words that we have heard many times, but we know the fact and the truth in relation to the 1899 [Arbitral] Award, and the court is going to determine the merits of words and facts,” he said.
Ali also said Guyana is prepared for Venezuela's response to the eventual judgment, regardless of whether Caracas accepts the outcome.
“I wouldn’t say we are bracing, but we are prepared for any reaction to the court[‘s] rul[ing]. We are very conscious of these words… notwithstanding the fact that Venezuela has participated fully in every aspect of the case before the ICJ,” he said.
Guyana has maintained that it will accept the court's final judgment as the definitive and peaceful resolution of the decades-old controversy.
Ali said that beyond the ruling, Guyana wants to turn its attention toward its future relationship with Venezuela and maintaining stability in the wider region.
He said the focus would be on “building a relationship and ensuring that the region remains strong, stable, secure, and that both countries can advance its economic potential and opportunity in an environment that is free from fear.”
The president also pointed to the United States' role in supporting regional stability as the countries await the judgment, saying Guyana's relationship with Washington remains unchanged and based on principle.
