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While reports from Guatemala have spread like wildfire, along with condemnation of the B.D.F. at the highest levels of government, the incident is still under investigation by the O.A.S. Guatemala’s Foreign Minister, Carlos Raul Morales, has been particularly focused on the B.D.F., criticizing their training and rules of engagement. Today, for the first time, B.D.F. […]
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 […]
Earlier in our newscast we mentioned the BTV trip scheduled for Saturday. The government has advised that it not happen, while BTV head Wil Maheia insists that he will lead an expedition to Sarstoon Island to mark the anniversary of the 1859 Treaty. Based on what we saw first-hand on Friday as we visited the […]
Late last week, the Organization of American States issued a rare statement. We say rare because the O.A.S. has stoically maintained silence in times of tension, like when Special Police Constable Danny Conorquie was gunned down at Caracol. But not this time, as the O.A.S. release states that it repudiates the killing of the minor […]
There is an escalating crisis between Belize and Guatemala that is reaching tipping point. In recent days, Guatemala has adopted an aggressive stand against Belize especially in the Sarstoon where Belizean vessels are now required to get their permission to enter the Sarstoon. The death of a minor near Cebada in the Chiquibul on Wednesday […]
Guatemala earlier today issued a statement saying that ten Guatemalan civilians had been killed by Belizean troops. But there is also the murder of Danny Connorquie and the shooting of Sergeant Richard Lambey within Belize territory, which remains unresolved. While Belize has not placed responsibility at the hands of Guatemalans, everything points to them. According […]
As tensions continue to mount, the Prime Minister is meeting with high level officials from the United Nations, the O.A.S. and the international community. Here on the ground, the government is briefing the U.S., the U.K. and other allies. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “I am meeting with the deputy secretary general of the UN […]
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 […]
As the government of Guatemala becomes more aggressive, The People’s United Party has been swift in issuing a statement following an emergency executive meeting at Independence Hall. P.U.P. Leader John Briceño addressed the nation on the crisis along our borders. He called the troop build-up an irresponsible threat to peace and demanded that the kaibiles […]
As we said, the People’s United Party held an emergency meeting this morning in light of the amassing of troops in the Sarstoon as well as at the Adjacency Zone. The lead of the advisory group for the P.U.P. is Senator Eamon Courtenay, who is also a former Foreign Minister. Prior to that meeting, we […]
Senator Courtenay explains that once Guatemala moves its troops to exercise their so called sovereignty, it is a clear case of annexation which if left undone, becomes a permanent situation. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition Representative “When a country declares part of a territory of another country is there’s coupled with the actual exercise of sovereignty […]
Senator Eamon Courtenay, this morning expressed dismay at the O.A.S. pointing out that the organization is well aware of the plunder of Belize’s resources in the Chiquibul by Guatemalan nationals. He said that the circumstances deserve a stepping up of diplomatic work. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition Representative “In my experience, the O.A.S. does not issue […]
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 […]
As you heard just now, Belize has asked the O.A.S. for a verification exercise for Wednesday’s shooting near Cebada. This morning, just before he left the country, O.A.S. Secretary-General Luis Almagro made reference to the urgent need for just such an exercise in the interest of keeping the peace between both countries. Luis Almagro, […]
The Secretary General’s brief interview at the Phillip Goldson International Airport was essentially a continuation of an ad hoc question and answer session at the western border on Wednesday which ended abruptly. While Almagro’s itinerary did not necessarily include formal discussions on protocols governing the Sarstoon area, he did meet with Prime Minister Dean Barrow […]
Before that shooting near Cebada, the biggest thing in the news would have been the actions by Guatemala on Wednesday, as the Ministry of National Security inaugurated its Forward Operating Base at the Sarstoon. Vessels from the Guatemalan base stationed themselves well within Belizean territory, and at one point were less than one hundred feet […]
And where the Opposition’s participation in the Belize/Guatemala talks is concerned, there is very significant news. Ambassador Assad Shoman is out, and Ambassador Eamon Courtenay is in. We could not confirm whether the very sudden removal of Shoman as P.U.P. Representative is based on the fact that last week he stated that he is not […]
This morning, Briceño also briefed News Five on the meeting with Secretary-General Almagro which included the participation of former P.U.P. Foreign Ministers Said Musa, Lisa Shoman, Godfrey Smith and Eamon Courtenay. He told us that the Opposition took great pains to reject Guatemala’s claim and recent actions and also to let him know that the […]
As we reported earlier in the newscast, there is a build-up of Guatemalan troops on the Sarstoon and along the adjacency zone. It comes immediately after President Jimmy Morales issued a statement saying he would beef up his security forces and recalled his ambassador. Now PM Dean Barrow is in New York for the signing […]
Tonight, there is a lot of news from the Sarstoon in southern Belize, where the Ministry of National Security inaugurated its long awaited Forward Operating Base. There were uninvited guests from Guatemala, up close and personal in Belizean waters and we’ll have all that for you. But we start our coverage with official ministerial confirmation […]
While Guatemala was considering the proposals, or claimed to be giving them due consideration, Belize’s Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington claimed that there was an agreement between generals to keep the peace, without interference from either side. But that was last week, before Guatemala rejected the Sarstoon proposals. So what does it mean for the movement […]
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 […]
Written on April 20, 2016 | Posted in
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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 […]
Written on April 20, 2016 | Posted in
Defense,
Featured |
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