An old territorial claim to part of Guyana rich in oil and gold has proved a useful for Hugo Chávez’s successor. But the land grab has sparked outrage among the Guyanese

Andre Mohabir will not leave his village. He is a toshao, the Indigenous leader of Wakapau village in Essequibo, a region along Guyana’s border with Venezuela. Since Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president, announced in April that he would annex Essequibo, a huge slice of Guyana’s territory, Mohabir has seen the number of villagers dwindle.

“A lot of people have been tense and scared. People moved out in most areas nearby,” says Mohabir, 36.