The Guyana and Venezuela border conflict dates back to 1899 before Guyana was even an independent nation. When ExxonMobil began developing an oil block in offshore Guyana, which is expected to produce 750,000 barrels per day of oil in 2026, the new oil discovery brought up old problems the two states had with the boundary line. In early January 2021, Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, attempted to re-establish Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region. Guyana resisted by seeking the United Nations International Court to solve the border conflict in late 2021.