Venezuela has claimed sovereignty over Guyana's oil-rich Essequibo region. Locals and officials in the capital Georgetown told DW how anxious they are.

Recently discovered oil is transforming Guyana's fortunes. But neighbouring Venezuela has suddenly rekindled old claims of territorial ownership. Official Venezuelan maps now incorporate the disputed Essequibo region that covers two-thirds of Guyana, and Venezuelan oil companies have been ordered to start extraction.

A non-binding referendum in Venezuela has shown overwhelming support for the government's claims to Essequibo, a large swathe of land controlled by neighbouring Guyana. The land dispute between the two countries is over a century old, but heated up back in 2015 with the discovery of oil fields off the coast of Essequibo.