Sarstoon River

For the first time in his political career, the Honorable Francis Fonseca addressed the General Debate of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Saturday, September 28th, as Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. In his 21-minute speech, Fonseca discussed several topics, including advocating for climate justice and Belize’s ties with other economies like the United States. However, many in Belize were waiting for Fonseca to address the ongoing issues at the Sarstoon River with the Guatemalan Navy. Instead, he referred to Guatemala’s president Bernardo Arevalo's statement on settling the territorial dispute with Belize at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) without highlighting the daily struggles at the southernmost border with that country.

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.

While across the country on Sunday, September 10th, Belizeans were celebrating the 225th Anniversary of the Battle of St. George’s Caye, a group of Belizeans headed to the Sarstoon River on the southern border with Guatemala to celebrate the occasion with a flag-raising ceremony. The event was spearheaded by the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), and as on previous occasions, it was interrupted by the Guatemalan armed forces. The BTV said the Guatemalan military personnel removed three Belizean flags planted on Belize’s soil. The Belize Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to respond to this latest incident, but the Opposition issued a statement condemning the actions by the Guatemalan military.

For years, the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) have spearheaded trips through the Sarstoon River to one of the country’s border markers in the southern Toledo District to commemorate the 1859 Boundary Treaty signed between Great Britain and Guatemala. In recent years, the Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) in the area have reportedly enforced sovereignty on the river, making this annual patriotic trip challenging. On the 164th anniversary of the treaty, the BTV once again led an excursion, where the GAF confronted them as they went up the Sarstoon River.

On Thursday, June 18th, nine armed soldiers from the Guatemalan Armed Forces vessel attempted to stop a Belizean vessel from traversing the north side of the Sarstoon Area.

Two media personnel was traversing the Sarstoon River this morning when they were approached by a Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) vessel.

GOB has implemented a restriction on Sarstoon River which is causing much dispute within the Belizean community.

The regulations prohibit persons and vessels, without lawful authority, from entering into Belize's portion of the Sarstoon River.