Army sends anti-tank missiles and 28 armored vehicles to reinforce border in Roraima

The Brazilian Army sent 50 vehicles to Roraima, of which 28 were armored vehicles, in a move to reinforce Brazil's border with Venezuela and Guyana. The equipment was received on Tuesday, 30th, by General Tomás Miguel Miné Ribeiro Paiva, at the Vessel Center of the Amazon Military Command, in Manaus. From there, they head to Roraima by river train.

The reinforcement comes amid the dispute over the territory of Essequibo, which corresponds to 75% of what is now Guyana, and is claimed by Venezuela. The dispute over the area intensified at the end of last year, after the discovery of oil in the region.

The convoy has 14 multi-tasking armored vehicles, equipped with remotely controlled weapons systems, eight armored personnel carriers, six armored reconnaissance vehicles and other administrative vehicles. In total, 50 vehicles were sent from Campo Grande (MS), through “Operation Roraima”, which has 50 military personnel and 32 vehicles carrying out the transport.

In Roraima, the vehicles will be part of the new 18th Mechanized Cavalry Regiment which, by 2025, will have three squadrons and a force of around 600 soldiers, according to the Army.

The Force did not say whether the equipment will remain in Boa Vista or whether it will be sent to municipalities located closer to the borders. In a statement, he simply explained that “the vehicles will reinforce the defense of the border in the north of the country”.

The new regiment will also receive reinforcement from dozens of anti-tank missiles, capable of hitting armored vehicles up to four kilometers away. Other uses for military weapons, according to the Army, are: concentration of vehicles, fortified buildings, fuel and/or ammunition depots, river boats and helicopters hovering at low altitude.

In December, the Minister of Defense, José Múcio, stated regarding the possibility of Venezuelan troops using Roraima as a route for an invasion of Guyana: “If a more energetic 'no way through here' is necessary, we are prepared for it.”

Also last month, a meeting between the leaders of the two countries took place at the main international airport on the island of São Vicente, in the eastern Caribbean. With a handshake, both sealed their commitment not to use force or escalate tensions in the region.