Guyana asks World Court to stop Venezuela's referendum over disputed territory

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Guyana on Tuesday asked the World Court to issue an emergency order for Venezuela to stop a Dec. 3 referendum over its rights to a potentially oil-rich territory that has been the subject of a long-running border dispute between the two neighbours.

In April the International Court of Justice, as the World Court is formally known, ruled that it had jurisdiction over the issue. A final ruling on the main case could be years away.