BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – The Belize government says it has been able to “defuse” tensions at the Sarstoon River on Wednesday and that it will be lodging a formal protest “at the highest level” after a contingent from the Guatemalan Armed Forces(GAF) planted a Guatemalan flag on Belizean soil.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade stated that high-level discussions between senior officials from Belize and Guatemala were immediately undertaken, during which Belize expressed its strong objection to the recent unauthorized placement of a Guatemalan flag on Sarstoon Island, which lies well within Belize’s sovereign borders.
“Belize also expressed concern about the presence and conduct of Guatemalan Armed Forces personnel who supported this illegal action. Guatemalan officials subsequently confirmed that the Guatemalan flag was removed.”
The statement said that during the discussions, Belize and Guatemala committed to ensuring that “actions that could lead to escalation or confrontation in the Sarstoon area are avoided” and that “both countries reiterated their commitment to working together to address situations through dialogue and cooperation, building upon the framework established during the recent inter-ministerial meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Home Affairs of both countries”.
It stated that the meeting resulted in an agreement to develop and implement a coordinating mechanism to manage operations in the Sarstoon, aiming to prevent incidents of this nature.
“The Government of Belize will be lodging a formal protest at the highest level against this violation of its territorial sovereignty and the aggressive actions that accompanied it.
“The Government of Belize reaffirms its unwavering commitment to defend its territorial integrity and ensure that all actions taken by its security forces are guided by respect for the rule of law and the protection of Belize’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said.
Earlier, Wil Maheia, the founder of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), had indicated that its members were going to the Sarstoon on Saturday and that the presence of the GAF was by no accident.
“So it has been out there, it’s been on social media and everything, I believe that they just wanted to flex their muscles, thinking that it was yesterday we were going, because every year we go around the tenth.
“In fact, our first trip to Sarstoon Island was on the tenth of September, which was more than 15 years ago. Around this time, the GAF definitely stepped up its game. They bring in extra boats and extra men for the river.
“We are very disappointed, and I hope that our government is really on top of their game, in terms of protesting this incident. They entered our territory and placed their flag on the island. I mean, that is totally unacceptable,” Maheia said.
The Belize-Guatemala border dispute dates back to Guatemala’s claim of significant portions of Belizean territory, based on historical Spanish colonial rights, while Belize maintains its sovereignty over these areas.
The dispute originated from a 1859 treaty between Britain and Guatemala, which Guatemala claims was violated by Britain. After decades of failed negotiations and tensions, both countries agreed in 2008 to submit the dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a final decision, a process confirmed by referendums in both countries.
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