The Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar Khan, has ordered a moratorium on overseas vacation leave for all Officers of the GDF.

The order was handed down on the 15th November and took effect the same day, and will remain in place until further notice.

Additionally, permission that was previously granted for overseas vacation travel has been rescinded.

The order effectively blocks all overseas travel for GDF Officers unless it is work related. The decision comes at a time when the military has been stepping up its vigilance in the bordering communities in wake of Venezuela’s increased aggression and threats towards Guyana, and the country’s planned referendum, which seeks the Venezuela’s public support to make Guyana’s Essequibo region a new Venezuelan state.

In the past weeks, the Guyana Defence Force has been deploying more officers and soldiers to the border locations and in the bordering communities, as Venezuela continues a military build-up on its side of the border.

The GDF is also concerned about the growing number of Venezuelan migrants coming across to Guyana and has started to monitor many of the communities where the migrants have been settling.

The Chief of Staff of the GDF has been meeting with the high command of the Force and other members of the intelligence community.

During a recent anniversary event, the Chief of Staff reminded the members of the GDF of their role to protect the territorial integrity of Guyana.

Earlier this week, Guyana and Venezuela appeared before the International Court of Justice, as the Court sat to hear an application from Guyana for the Court to block a number of questions in the upcoming Venezuelan referendum that relate to Guyana’s Essequibo region and the border case that is before the International Court of Justice.

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