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 […]
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 […]
The Government of Guatemala has also issued a statement following the meeting between Prime Minister Dean Barrow and President Jimmy Morales in New York. That statement makes no reference on the de-escalation of tensions as the Prime Minister asserted this morning. In the statement, Morales rejects the Belizean version that the B.D.F. acted in self-defence […]
The Guatemalan Government has also gone on the offensive. President Jimmy Morales also met with the Secretary General of the O.A.S., Luis Almagro, and with the Secretary of the Commission of Human Rights, Emilio Alvarez Icaza Longoria, to request their involvement in the investigation in the death of Guatemalan minor. Guatemala is also seeking an […]
The body of thirteen year old Julio Alvarado Ruano, who was killed inside the Chiquibul last Tuesday, was laid to rest over the weekend in his home village of La Rejoya. It’s a tragedy that has spurred increased aggression by the Guatemalan military along the adjacency zone and the Sarstoon River. According to B.D.F. Commander […]
And to close off our coverage of Belize/Guatemala relations tonight, we turn to the status of Ambassador Assad Shoman. P.U.P. leader John Briceño last week made the announcement that Senator Eamon Courtenay would continue as their lead representative to his advisory group of foreign ministers. Shoman might be gone from the P.U.P., but maybe he […]
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 […]
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 […]
Secretary General of the O.A.S., Luis Almagro, was sitting comfortably witnessing a Culture for Peace Program at the Adjacency Zone on Wednesday removed from what was happening at the Sarstoon where the Guatemalan Armed Forces were making their presence known immediately in front of the Forward Operating base. As far as we can tell, the […]
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 […]
Aside from the Sarstoon, we headed to Benque which is the western town on the border with Guatemala. We witnessed Guatemalan children crossing the border to attend school in Belize. And while business has slowed down, the flow of traffic and people continued without incident. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has a report from Benque. […]
Apart from the O.A.S. and Mexico issuing statements on the latest developments between Belize and Guatemala, the U.S. State Department made a brief comment on the escalated tension. The press statement by Assistant Secretary and Department Spokesperson John Kirby, says, “We are deeply concerned by reports today that a child was killed and two family […]
The government of Mexico has also issued a statement. Our neighbor to the north reiterates its support for the efforts of both countries to advance the solution to the dispute that maintain as well as its support for the initiatives that are implemented within the framework of the O.A.S. to promote measures of confidence building. […]
The Organization of American States has issued a release on the fatal shooting of Guatemalan minor Julio Rene Alvarado, in the Chiquibul on Wednesday. The release states that, “the O.A.S. General Secretariat repudiates the death of a Guatemalan minor at the hands of a Belizean patrol and urges both sides to redouble efforts to establish […]
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 […]
