Satellite images show Venezuela has bolstered its military presence near the border with Guyana, despite Caracas saying it would pursue a diplomatic avenue to try and resolve the long-standing territorial dispute over an oil-rich piece of Guyanese land.

Imagery from Maxar collected in January showed an expansion of operations at Venezuela’s Anacoco Island military base, on the Cuyuni river, which borders Guyana, with several new sections of rainforest cleared recently and others being bulldozed when the images were captured.

The pictures also show new infrastructure and several armored vehicles present on site.

While the base’s airstrip appeared unchanged, a helicopter could be seen on it, and access roads were improved.