Venezuela’s planned vote over territory dispute leaves Guyana residents on edge

By JUAN ARRÁEZ and REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

SURAMA, Guyana (AP) — Congregants of an Anglican church in a sparsely populated rainforest village in Guyana are asking for peace for their community amid what they see as an existential threat. Their village, Surama, is part of Guyana’s Essequibo region — a territory that Venezuela claims as its own and whose future it intends to decide Sunday with a referendum. The practical and legal implications of the vote remain unclear but the referendum has left area residents on edge.