In the absence of an adjacency zone at the southern border with Guatemala, a protocol on how to deal with civilians and military personnel traversing the area of the Sarstoon River is being developed. That set of guidelines will see input from military leaders on both sides of the geographic divide. While there is a […]
If you’ve wondered why there is no rise in hostility between Belize and Guatemala when illegal hunters are found inside Belizean territory it’s because the adjacency zone clearly demarcates the 1859 treaty line. Such is not the case at the Sarstoon. Commander Jones explains. Isani Cayetano “It doesn’t seem as though there is much […]
The Belize Territorial Volunteers, led by activist Wil Maheia, has come under fire recently for its purported role in rousing hostilities in the south, between the B.D.F. and Guatemalan military. While the group is being blamed in part for agitating an already tense situation, details of a threat assessment documenting those incidents and others have […]
Barring an official protocol governing the rules of engagement at the southern-most border of Belize, the Sarstoon, there seems little clarity on the situation there. Things came to a head just over a week ago when Guatemalan military came into Belizean waters in front of the Forward Operating Base and informed soldiers stationed there that […]
That confusion about the actual claim seems to give rise to some confusion about the seriousness and significance of Guatemala’s active ownership of the Sarstoon – ownership bolstered by military presence. The incident on Saturday when armed Guatemalan military came into Belizean waters to inform our B.D.F. soldiers that they could no longer go into […]
Following the National Security Meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow credited the defusing of the situation at the Sarstoon on Sunday to Brigadier-General David Jones – more specifically, the relationship Jones has with the highest-ranking military officer in Guatemala. It is through communication between those two men on Saturday that the Guatemalan military was […]
The Belize Defense Force is shortly due to make its weekly shift-change run to Cadenas via the Sarstoon, or is it? Has that strongly worded note from the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry issued after Saturday’s incident changed things? In the note, Guatemala insists that the Sarstoon is theirs, and they will continue to assert sovereignty as […]
Just a few years ago, Belizeans were able to use the Sarstoon and there was no question that half of that meandering river was ours. Today, Guatemalans say the entire river is theirs and obviously they are prepared to assert that claim using military force against not only civilians but also the military. To the […]
In tri-lateral meetings conducted at OAS headquarters in Washington DC on Tuesday, the Opposition was represented by former Foreign Minister Assad Shoman. Even in its release issued over the weekend, we noted that government made a point of mentioning that the Prime Minister had briefed Opposition leader John Briceño personally on the situation at the […]
One government official who is known not to mince words is Minister of Education Patrick Faber. He weighed in on the Sarstoon incident, telling the media today that Belizeans should be concerned and patriotism by civilians ought to be applauded. But there are more successful ways to solve the issues with Guatemala in the south. […]
Tonight, an impasse between Belize and Guatemala remains in place following an incident involving members of the Belize Defense Force and the Guatemalan Navy near the mouth of the Sarstoon River, at the site of a forward operating base on the Belizean side of the estuary. After the GAF confronted the B.D.F., Belize sent a […]
Now in Washington today, a meeting between Belizean and Guatemalan foreign ministers Wilfred Elrington and Carlos Raul Morales was held at the seat of the Organization of American States. That meeting had been planned ahead of the armed confrontation between B.D.F. personnel and the Guatemalan Navy. There are not too many details available on the […]
In the aftermath of the standoff in the Sarstoon between the B.D.F. and the Guatemalan Armed Forces, much has been said about the tense relationship between both militaries. The National Security Council met on Monday to discuss details of the incident, as well as the way forward. But what about the progress of the construction […]
It is not the first time that hostility has been displayed towards the Belizean military by the Guatemala navy. In fact, alarm bells were sounded since last year that the Guatemalan Armed Force was behaving confrontational. A report from the Belize Defense Force back in 2015, records instances where the navy became aggressive toward the […]
On Monday, the P.U.P. condemned the aggression of the Guatemalan navy. Today, another political party added its condemnation. Vision Inspired by the People denounced Guatemala’s military aggression toward Belizean soldiers and citizens. A V.I.P. release states that Guatemala’s government is pursuing a path of military intimidation in violation of its obligations as a member of […]
There is currently unease in the halls of government following an incident in the Sarstoon on Saturday. While reports started circulating that night, the first official verification came via G.O.B. release twenty-four hours after, on Sunday evening. That release acknowledged that tension in the Sarstoon was at an all time high, and used language like […]
There was an altercation in the Chiquibul last Thursday which resulted in the B.D.F. shooting a Guatemalan in the leg. Belize Defense Force and Friends for Conservation and Development rangers were about six hundred meters from the Belize/Guatemalan border when they came upon a marijuana plantation, guarded by two men. One of those men, Francisco […]
The Government sent out a release prior to the Belize Territorial Volunteers’ anniversary expedition to Gracias A Dios. As you know now, the expedition only reached the mouth of the Sarstoon. But that wasn’t the only problem, the turnout was dismal. Other than Wil Maheia, there were only two civilians that went other than the […]
Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington, in the wake of what transpired along the Sarstoon River on Saturday, has indicated that government will be lodging another protest note to Guatemalan officials in the days ahead. Elrington told the media this evening that the blockade by the Guatemalan military was to be expected since a claim over the […]
A recently published article in Prensa Libre of a written account provided by the Guatemalan foreign ministry says that the Belizean delegation was fended off peacefully. According to a translation of that article, Guatemala remains firm that the territorial dispute will be settled at the I.C.J. Wilfred Elrington, Minister of Foreign Affairs “The English […]
The Foreign Minister also responds to a call from the P.U.P. for the recall of Ambassador Alexis Rosado. Elrington scoffs at the notion calling it ridiculous. A recall, he says, would only serve to breakdown existing dialogue between both countries. He cites an existing territorial dispute in the South China Sea where several countries, including […]
There is an incredible story coming out of the West tonight, in which a man from Bullet Tree was shot by an officer of the Gang Suppression Unit. It happened on the Santa Rosa road near Calla Creek. Welder Roberto Chan was travelling in a white S.U.V. with his wife and two children when he […]
Female coastguard officer, Keyren Tzib, went back to court this morning. She is accused of manslaughter in the stabbing death of her boyfriend, Thythis Blancaneaux on July eighteenth, 2015 in Lords Bank, Ladyville. The preliminary inquiry began around nine-fifty this morning to determine whether Tzib, who suffers from depression, will stand trial at Supreme Court. […]
The GREAT program funded by the U.S. government has become an important element in the work of the police department. It first started in the City and has now spread to the districts as an effective way to prevent violence among youths. Today, another group of police officers completed their training and will be deployed […]
There are fake cops on the prowl in Belize City, and they’ve already gotten away with two weapons taken from security guards. The latest incident happened in the early hours of Saturday morning. Two Haitian security guards at the JL’s Quick Loan facility on Douglas Jones Street were approached by two men in what appeared […]
