What was a Guatemalan Drone Doing Overhead in Belizean Airspace?

John Borland

As we reported earlier, the official tour of the Sarstoon River, including the proposed site of the Forward Operating Base and the Cadenas outpost, went without incident.  While the Guatemalan navy kept a safe distance away from the Belizean contingent, it did not prevent them from launching a drone into Belizean airspace.  Upon reaching the mouth of the river, the drone, presumably conducting aerial surveillance, was observed flying overhead.  Now, the rule of equidistance is the principle governing the maritime boundaries in the area, but certainly not the airspace.  That raises serious security concerns.  We got a reaction from Coast Guard Commander John Borland.

Isani Cayetano

“The drone itself came fairly close to where we were and I know they were probably doing an aerial surveillance.”

Rear Admiral John Borland, Commander, Belize National Coast Guard

“As far as I know, I’m not aware of any existing protocols, but it is certainly something that we have to address, something that we need to look at and something we need to establish protocols for if they don’t exist. I saw the drone myself and I thought the same thing; that it had come from across the opposite side of the border and it had certainly come pretty near or entered into our airspace. That is something new and it is something that we certainly need to address in the future.”