On Saturday, September 7th, a group of vessels, including a large gunboat from the Guatemalan Navy, was seen in southern Belizean waters. The Belize Defence Force (BDF) and the Belize Coast Guard (BCG) approached the Guatemalan military boat. The Guatemalan forces initially claimed they were in their territorial waters, but after some discussion, they complied with Belizean authorities, and the vessels returned to Guatemalan waters.
The incident caused alarm among concerned Belizeans, who were surprised by the presence of a large Guatemalan military vessel in Belizean waters. This suggested that the neighboring country, which maintains a territorial claim over Belize, has significantly invested in its military infrastructure. Although the Government of Belize has not publicly protested the recent transgression, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, the BCG Commander, commented on the incident, stating that removing the Guatemalan vessels from Belizean waters took hours.
Meanwhile, BDF Chief of Staff Major Roberta Usher stated that their soldiers were on routine patrol when they noticed Guatemalan vessels near their Forward Operating Base on the banks of the Sarstoon River. “Our units down south approached the vessels and got information from them. The Coast Guard also went in, and they did some mapping to see the territorial waters we are in,” said Usher. “We await confirmation to see if it was illegal trespassing or what they were doing there.” The Major added that they have already communicated with their counterparts in Guatemala. Usher said they must confirm what occurred before reporting a breach of sovereignty. “We try to keep everything at peace. We are there to control and monitor situations,” she noted.
The United Democratic Party has issued a statement condemning the acts of intimidation by the Guatemalans. It is demanding that Prime Minister Honorable John Briceño’s administration push for a formal protocol for operations on the Sarstoon River. Belize maintains its rights to a portion of the Sarstoon River, while the Guatemalan government claims the entire river. When Belizean civilians attempt to cross the mouth of the river, they are consistently approached by Guatemalan military personnel who demand that they leave or go through immigration to visit the area. There have been verbal confrontations between the Guatemalan military and Belizean civilians, particularly members of the Belize Territorial Volunteer Group. The government has sent diplomatic notes to the Guatemalan government regarding these incidents. However, the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honourable Francis Fonseca, has stated that diplomatic measures are the only actions that can be exercised now. “We have agreed, the people of Belize have voted for us to resolve this issue through the International Court of Justice (ICJ). We are pursuing that path to a peaceful resolution on this matter,” Fonseca said.
The Guatemalan government is claiming the Sarstoon River, the southernmost Belizean waters, and more than half of Belize, including additional Belizean waters and Cayes. The Belize-Guatemala case has progressed to the submission of written memorials or legal arguments, with the next step being oral hearings before the International Court of Justice. However, no date has been set for this stage of the case.
Guatemala’s long-standing territorial claim over Belize dates back to the Boundary Treaty signed in 1859 between Great Britain and Guatemala. Guatemala argues that the treaty was a cession agreement, where in exchange for the Belizean territory, the British were supposed to construct a cart road connecting Guatemala City to the Caribbean coast. Guatemala claims that the road was never built and alleges that although the British offered 50,000 Sterling Pounds to construct the road, the funds were never available. Consequently, in 1946, the Guatemalan Government declared the treaty null and void and demanded the return of the Belizean territory.
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