Last week, we told about the confrontation between Belizean lawmen and Guatemalan civilians at the Rio Blanco area, in south-western Belize. The Friends for Conservation and Development has since provided a second account of the dispute at the border, which happened 11 days ago.
The FCD confirms that between July 21st and July 28th, several of their rangers accompanied a contingent of BDF soldiers and the Forestry Department personnel on the mission to destroy Guatemalan structures and plantations that were confirmed to be inside Belizean territory.
While the BDF report suggests that the Guatemalan civilians were the aggravating element in the confrontation, the FCD asserts that the Guatemalan soldiers are equally at fault for entering Belizean territory.
The conservation organization says, quote, "The incidences of Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) trespassing into Belizean territory on the 23rd and 24th of July, 2021 not only merits from Belize a strong protest to the Giammattei government, but also one to be reported to the international community. Not doing so sets serious precedence. This has been an act of intimidation and provocation providing 'fuel' for local villagers to believe that this part of the country belongs to them." End quote.
They confirm that a military helicopter flew over Belizean airspace and that on July 24th, a large number of Guatemalan military and civilians were seen in the hills of the area. They were inside Belize in the Chiquibul National Park. 10 of the Guatemalan soldiers then approached the Belizean joint patrol team. The lead soldier specifically came to find what the Belizeans were doing, and he also lamented the losses to the Villages.
The FCD says that during those verbal interactions between the two sides, the lead Guatemalan soldier well understood that he was about Belizean territory and that the crops and fences being destroyed were also inside Belize. He was also told that the Jimenez Family, who reportedly hires local people to work for them, also knew very well that they have been conducting illegal cultivation in Belizean Territory for years. They also kept on expanding their encroachments despite being warned.
The FCD reiterates that they have been reporting on the advancement of the Jimenez farm since 2010. Yet, no credible deterrence had occurred. This area is located some 4.5 kilometers north of the Rio Blanco Conservation Post. In recent years, Jimenez has reportedly invested in major water reservoirs. These were built by bulldozing ponds and erecting fences. The area being used by the Jimenez Family for agricultural crops and cattle ranching is over 350 acres. It is estimated that 80% of their operation was destroyed in this recent operation.
The FCD is recommending a continuous patrol system in this area, to deter any attempts to revive this illegal encroachment.
