Belize seeks answers from Guatemala over disputed military flight

Prime Minister John Briceño said Belize would seek an explanation from Guatemala and bring its ambassador in Guatemala home for consultations following a disputed military flight near Lighthouse Reef and Caye Caulker. Belize says a Guatemalan military aircraft entered its airspace without authorization on the night of September 24th. Guatemala denies that the flight entered Belizean territory.
According to Belize’s Ministry of Defense, radar data showed the aircraft entering Belizean airspace at approximately 7:29PM. Retired Major Francis Usher, the ministry’s Chief Executive Officer, said the aircraft circled between Lighthouse Reef Atoll and an aviation reference point known as KIRAP. He said its transponder stopped transmitting at about 8:07PM, after which officials continued tracking it on primary radar until it returned toward Guatemala. Usher said Belize had not cleared the flight.
Belize sought an explanation through diplomatic channels. In a September 25th statement, Guatemala’s Ministry of National Defense said its military operations comply with national and international law. Still, the statement did not directly address Belize’s account of the flight.
Briceño raised the allegation during his September 26th address to the United Nations General Assembly. He described the reported incursion as a breach of Belize’s sovereignty and linked it to wider tensions between the two countries. Their territorial, insular and maritime dispute remains before the International Court of Justice.
Guatemala rejected the allegation in its right of reply at the UN. Its representative said no Guatemalan Air Force aircraft had overflown Belizean territory and accused Belize of spreading misinformation. The two governments’ accounts of the flight remain in dispute.
Speaking to reporters after returning to Belize on September 28th, Briceño maintained that the flight had occurred and said the government had evidence to support its account. He said he would recommend calling in Guatemala’s ambassador to Belize for an explanation and bringing Belize’s ambassador in Guatemala home for consultations. Briceño later clarified that Ambassador José Alpuche had not been recalled from his post.
Briceño said he remained willing to meet Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo if an opportunity arose, while the government considered its next steps.