On Thursday, we aired the first of a two-part series of amateur footage provided exclusively to News Five showing what transpired on the Sarstoon River between the BDF and the Guatemalan military. The confrontation was the most recent between the two armed forces, taking place on March twelfth when a detail of BDF soldiers arrived […]
There was a double murder today in the west and we will come to that shortly, but events of national importance in the Sarstoon continue to dominate the news. Tonight, we bring you exclusive and explosive footage of an aggression against local law enforcement by the Guatemalan military. The incident happened back on March twelfth, […]
Following that dangerous encounter, nine Belize Defense Force soldiers, including Sergeant Kib and Lance Corporal Zuniga, who were assigned to the construction site where the Sarstoon Forward Operating Base was being erected, are tonight facing disciplinary charges. While the men bravely stood their ground in the face of military aggression by the Guatemalan Armed Forces, […]
The attempt by Guatemala to inspire international outrage against Belize following last Wednesday incident in the Chiquibul continues unabated. In an interview we aired on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales claimed that he had lobbied support from Foreign Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean in condemning Belize. He also claimed that he wants […]
Wil Maheia and the Belize Territorial Volunteers are unyielding in their goal to return to the Sarstoon on Saturday where they plan to commemorate the hundred and fifty-seventh anniversary of the signing of the 1859 Treaty between Britain and Guatemala. The group’s persistence flies in the face of the Prime Minister’s warning on Monday, dissuading […]
But back to Brigadier General David Jones…he said today that the investigation into the shooting of Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey remains ongoing, but unofficially, he’s been told that Lambey would have been ambushed by the Guatemalans. As to the shooting last Wednesday in the Chiquibul Forest which left thirteen-year-old Julio Alvarado Ruano dead, Guatemala was […]
The rules of engagement for B.D.F. soldiers on patrol near the western and southern borders with Guatemala are a clear set of directives that each officer must follow. They provide authorization and restrictions on, among other things, the use of force, as well as the employment of certain specific capabilities. In light of the recent […]
After weeks of assembling and training of pilots, two helicopters were handed over to the B.D.F. today by the Government of Taiwan. The choppers will be used for evacuation and aerial reconnaissance. At the handing over today, both the helicopters were received by the Minister of National Security, which was followed by a flyover of […]
The incident in which a Guatemalan minor was shot in the Chiquibul has gone viral, pushed by the highest officials in Guatemala and fueled by the Guatemalan press. At his press conference on Monday, PM Barrow accepted that the issue was emotive and sensational, and that Guatemala had been first out the gate. But he […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow returned to Belize from New York on Sunday after holding discussions with the United Nations, the Organization of American States and others on the aggressive stand by Guatemala, following the killing of a minor inside the Chiquibul. Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales and other high-ranking officials ramped up the rhetoric and mobilized […]
The de-escalation of the tension, according to the PM, came despite the positions taking by both leaders – Morales seeking justice for the death of thirteen year old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano, and Barrow maintaining that the shooting was justified…self-defense after a B.D.F. patrol came under fire. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “President Morales committed […]
If you wanted more assurance that the rhetoric has been dialed way down, you’d only have to listen to an interview from Guatemala’s Minister of Defense Williams Mansilla over the weekend. He told the press in Guatemala that there was no declaration of war, and not even a mobilization of troops as was widely reported. […]
So the crisis has been averted, and all attempts will be made to de-escalate tensions in the wake of the incident on Wednesday in the Chiquibul. But the truth is that the factors which coalesced to create that near flashpoint are still very much in evidence. In the Sarstoon, for example, there is a state […]
The last we heard, Guatemala had rejected eleven proposals presented by Belize to government rules of engagement in the Sarstoon. At the same time, we heard that Belize had roundly rejected Guatemala’s counter-proposals asking for a return to the status-quo. So with a rejection from both sides, the talks are presumably on hold right? Well, […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar attended a pair of emergency meetings on Friday, including a session with the upper echelon of Belize’s security forces. Later that afternoon, he convened a meeting of the National Security Council where Prime Minister Dean Barrow participated via teleconference. While the diplomatic aspect of the Belize/Guatemala issue is essentially […]
Here in Belize City, the National Security Council met this afternoon at the Office of the Prime Minister in Belize City, following a meeting this morning between Minister of National Security John Saldivar and the senior command of Belize’s security forces. The Belize Defense Force, the Belize National Coast Guard, as well as the Belize […]
Courtenay goes on to say that the internationalization of the Belize/Guatemala crisis, in light of the shooting death of a minor in the Chiquibul, is being used by Guatemalan army generals to push an aggressive military position against Belize. The full story, he says, must be told in the international community in the manner in […]
Since we visited the Sarstoon on Wednesday for the inauguration of the joint operations Forward Operating Base a lot has happened. A Guatemalan minor was shot and killed in the Chiquibul, allegedly by a B.D.F. Patrol returning fire, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has inflamed the issue with a very strong video message and Guatemalan troops […]
Tonight, there is heightened tension on both Belizean and Guatemalan fronts following the death of a Guatemalan minor and a very strong and disturbing message to Belize from Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales. First, the shooting….News Five has confirmed that at around six-thirty Wednesday evening, seven B.D.F. soldiers and seven FCD rangers were destroying farms within […]
The release from the Government of Belize does not respond to the bold statement of Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales. News Five has been reliably informed that Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Morales are meeting in New York tonight, where both have gone to sign on to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We’re assuming that […]
The shooting of the Guatemalan minor occurred in the Chiquibul, in an area which is known for illegal marijuana plantations. Ironically, on Wednesday Brigadier-General David Jones spoke to us about the ongoing B.D.F. patrols in the area to address the situation of illegal farming and marijuana cultivation. He couldn’t have known that just hours after […]
We also spoke to the general about the new state of affairs in the Sarstoon following the rejection of the protocols by Guatemala. Jones clarified that any understanding of non-interception would apply only to other military craft and not to civilians going into the Sarstoon. Keep in mind this interview was done on Wednesday, hours […]
The inauguration of the joint military and law enforcement Forward Operating Base has certainly taken on new importance with the rejection of the protocols. Government has been criticized for not maintaining a presence in the Sarstoon as Guatemala has done for many months now. The base is located at the mouth of the Sarstoon, immediately […]
By the time the ceremony had gotten underway, Guatemalan vessels had made their way into the waters directly in front of the base, less than a hundred feet out. That was intrusive enough, but then a drone appeared in the airspace directly above the base, presumably recording footage for the G.A.F. It’s an invasion any […]
The two helicopters gifted to the B.D.F. by the Government of Taiwan have been assembled and are ready for use. Part of their regular schedule of activities will bring them to this spot at the mouth of the Sarstoon where they will serve a very critical role. Today Brigadier General David Jones explained. Brig. […]
