Guyana War

The Guyana War was a major conflict of the Cold War in South America, fought between the spring of 1969 and the autumn of 1971. It is a part of the broader Central American Crisis but considered a distinct theatre of combat from the main Central American War.

The war emerged from the ongoing conflict between Centroamerica and Guatemala, into which several outside powers gradually became involved, with Colombia entering on the side of Centroamerica by attacking airfields in Guyana being used by the United Kingdom to strike Centroamerican targets. Colombia's further wargoals included the annexation of Essequibo, a long-standing strategic objective. A coalition of Commonwealth of Nations countries and the Confederate States of America entered the conflict on the side of Guyana with the goal of securing the country's independence and achieving an armistice with Colombia, a goal achieved by 1971. The broader Central American War continued for several more years after the end of the conflict in Guyana.