The transfer of the armored vehicles to the northern border involves a 10% increase in the number of troops of the Northern Military Command and the Amazon Military Command to reinforce border security with Venezuela and Guyana, the report said.
"After the complete transformation of the unit, planned for 2025, the regiment [on the northern border] will have three units and a staff of about 600 soldiers," the agency quoted the Brazilian army's statement as saying.
The oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region has long been a subject of dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. Venezuela gained independence from Spain in 1845, with Essequibo recognized as part of its sovereign territory. However, in 1899, the United Kingdom filed and won an arbitration claim to recognize Essequibo as part of its then-Caribbean colony of British Guiana. Independent Guyana cited the 1899 Arbitral Award in its 2018 International Court of Justice suit against Venezuela to reassert its claim of sovereignty over the disputed territory.
In December 2023, Venezuela held a referendum in which almost 96% of the population voted for incorporating the Essequibo region into the country. Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said that Georgetown was considering Caracas' actions to incorporate Essequibo, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana's territory, as a threat to the country's national security.
Following talks in Kingstown on December 14, Venezuela and Guyana agreed to renounce any use of force in resolving the territorial conflict, reaffirmed commitments to keep Latin America a zone of peace and avoid aggravating the situation in the disputed region.