By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Sept. 15, 2025
Two recent encounters between a Belize Defence Force patrol boat and Guatemalan patrol boats in the Sarstoon River last Wednesday and Friday, September 10 and 12, have prompted Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Francis Fonseca to write a strong letter of protest to his Guatemalan counterpart and to the Organization of American States (OAS).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also began informing all of Belize’s friends of the incidents, along with Belize’s international partners who supported the OAS confidence-building measures after Belize’s signing of the compromis in December 2008 to take the Belize-Guatemala territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice. These included the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mexico, and others.
Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño commended the BDF patrol for their bravery and restraint, when he spoke to reporters outside the meeting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan on Friday, September 12. “It’s first important for us as Belizeans to recognize the bravery of BDF soldiers. They were surrounded by Guatemalans – I think there were as many as 7 Guatemalan boats, and their gun boat was probably about a mile away – and I want to commend them for the bravery that they demonstrated and their cool under pressure, because this could have quickly gotten out of control.”
“The waters of the Sarstoon River are not open access; they are a part of Guatemala’s interior waterways; return to your base”, asserted soldiers of the Guatemalan Armed Forces, when 2 Guatemalan patrol boats blocked a Belize Defence Force patrol boat from circling Sarstoon Island on Friday, September 12.
“We call on you to respect the following conditions to ensure a peaceful meeting”, the Belizean captain responded to his Guatemalan counterparts. “We ask that you respect our sovereignty and Belize’s territorial integrity. Please maintain a safe distance and avoid any provocative action,” he urged the intruders as he read out a written proclamation.
“We invite you to perform routine patrols, but we prefer that you do this within the limits of your international rights. Presently, you are violating the international frontier treaty between Belize and Guatemala. We hope that this encounter will be mutually respectful and peaceful. We ask you to respect the international border and to desist from any provocation. We thank you for your cooperation and for respecting the sovereignty of both countries.”
This incident followed an earlier confrontation on Wednesday, September 10, in which Guatemalan forces planted a Guatemalan flag on Sarstoon island. When BDF soldiers on a patrol boat saw it, they ordered the Guatemalans to take it down. “Either you take it down, or we’ll take it down ourselves, courteously. Man to man, let’s leave it at that,” they informed the intruders.
“You can’t take it down”, the intruders protested. “Why?”
“No flags are ever placed there, friend,’ the BDF informed the intruders. “What’s the matter with you?”
“You all are the ones who are always creating problems … all the time,” the Guatemalan intruders asserted.
“I’m just doing my job, just like you. I have orders to follow,” the BDF patrol informed them.
As soon as he learned of the incident, Minister Fonseca contacted Guatemala’s Minister of Defense as well as Belize’s Minister, Hon. Oscar Mira, to immediately begin working the diplomatic channels. This immediate action led to the Guatemalans taking down the flag and moving out of Belizean territory, Briceño explained to the media.
The Prime Minister departs for the United Nations on September 22, and Hon. Briceño said he expects to meet with Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arevalo de Leon during that time, to discuss the situation. “President Arevalo has demonstrated great support for Belize and wanting to create closer ties and a relationship between both countries,” Briceño said
“Obviously there seem to be elements within the military that are still classified as old guard and wanting to demonstrate every so often their stance when it comes to the Belize issue,” Briceño allowed. But that’s an issue that’s dying and the old guard, most of them are very old and basically dying.
“The younger generation are the ones that pretty much recognize that Belize is a free and independent nation and recognize that, and we believe that in time, that will work its way out. Also, the same time at the ICJ, we still have every confidence that we will win that case,” Briceño affirmed.
The Prime Minister said it was an act of aggression, “They came into our territory without our permission, and it is something that we hold very serious and we will not tolerate it; but we also have to be realistic, the size of their army compared to ours, but we will stand our ground. This is our land, and we will not give a single inch to the Guatemalans.”
“There are certain elements within the military that have this aggressive behavior. We know that President Arevalo has been having a lot of problems within his government, because nobody expected him to win,” Briceño admitted. “He’s a reform minded president, so he’s finding these challenges all over; but the Minister of Defense, I met with him already when I went to Guatemala in a meeting with President Arevalo. He also went to great lengths to see how we can work in that area, and how we can defuse the relationship, especially the military within the two countries. Briceño said the problem is not among the high-level officials, but more among the low-level hard-liners who try to show they are not going to give up more land.
“But we all stand firm that Belize is ours, and we will do as best as we can to defend what’s ours” Briceño avowed.
(AMANDALA Ed. Note: The northern branch of the Sarstoon River including the Sarstoon Island are Belizean territory; the line traversing the midpoint of the deepest channel in the southern branch of the Sarstoon River comprises the border between Belizean and Guatemalan territory. See the map above as defined in the 1859 treaty.)
