Last night, we told you about the confrontation between BDF soldiers and Guatemalan civilians at the western border in the Rio Blanco area of Toledo. We've since received more details about what exactly happened on Belize's side of the adjacency zone.
Between July 21st and July 28th, about 3 dozen soldiers accompanied rangers of the Friends for Conservation and Development. They went on a major special operation to destroy fences and plantations of beans and pumpkin seeds that were encroaching on Belizean territory. One of those places visited was Jimenez farm, a Guatemalan farm that has been illegally planted in Belize for years.
While the lawmen were destroying a fence at an area that has been confirmed as encroachment into Belizean territory, 5 Guatemalan Civilians approached the FCD rangers. 2 were armed with what appeared to be 22 rifles, and fired shots at the rangers. One of those rangers responded by firing a single round back at them, and that led to the BDF team moving into a new position to come to their aid. In that process, the soldiers fired 2 shots, and the Guatemalans then fled the area.
A Guatemalan Army helicopter was later seen flying over the patrol - possibly in Belizean airspace, and it landed on the Guatemalan side of the border. A few minutes after that 8 Guatemalan soldiers approached the civilians at the hilltop. They then approached the BDF, but the commander half a kilometre east of the border. The Special Operation commander informed the Guat soldiers that they were in Belizean territory. The Guatemalan army commander identified himself as a captain, and he explained that they were there to ensure that the BDF patrol wasn't destroying Guatemalan property. The BDF officer in charge then gave the Guatemalan commander a briefing of all the areas being destroyed because they were encroachments on Belizean territory, which has been verified by officials of the Organization of American States (OAS). The Guatemalan commander was then advised to explain the situation to their civilians who were objecting to the destruction.
On Saturday, the following day, the patrol then spotted 15 civilians and about 50 to 60 Guatemalan army soldiers approaching the hilltop in question. They were then met by 9 soldiers at an area that is 335 meters east of the border. The commander of this new group of soldiers identified himself to the lead BDF soldier, and he mentioned that they were checking on the activities being reported by their civilians. This Guatemalan commander also asserted that their villagers depend on their cultivation.
The BDF officer in charge then informed the Guatemalan commander that they were standing in Belizean territory, which the Guat. officer acknowledged. The commander then requested the grid readings of the crops being destroyed, but he was denied. From there, the Guatemalan military personnel left the area and headed toward the hilltop. They observed the activities of the Belizean lawmen for about an hour and then left the area.
In a gently worded press release this afternoon, the Government of Belize noted the cordial nature of the interactions between the Belizean and Guatemalan soldiers on this very delicate matter.
Shortly before the start of our newscast, we got an opportunity to speak via Zoom with Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Courtenay. Here's what he had to say about this confrontation at the border:
Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"The Belize Defence Force was operating on the Belize side of the border and they were carrying out an operation, subsequent to verification by the Organization of American States, which confirmed that the plantations - or farms perhaps is a more accurate description that - the farms were on our side of the border. The operation was to destroy these farms because they should not be there. The Guatemalans were informed that the Belize Defence Force was to be carrying out the operation. As you know, the operations were carried out peacefully and there was a presence of civilians with weapons and a presence of Guatemalan Armed Forces with weapons. As it turned out, the Guatemalan Armed Forces approach the Belize Defence Force and their team to find out what was happening. They were informed of the operation, that they were dealing with verified plantations, and therefore, they were intending to destroy the plantations. The Guatemalan Armed Forces seem satisfied, and return to their side of the border and there was no risk - it appears from the reports we have - that arms were actually drawn threatening the Belize Defence Force or their teams. Having said that, our reports are that some shots were fired, not by the respective armed forces, but by civilians and no one was hurt. So, it could easily have escalated, but we are very glad that both armies operated in a professional way. We are going to lodge an official protest to put on record our strong disapproval of, first of all, the incursions. Secondly, the fact that the plantations were on our side and that shots were fired, putting at risk Belizeans. So, we are going to record that."
Over the past few months, we've been sharing reports with you from the Friends for Conservation and Development on their reconnaissance missions. The FCD has been sounding the alarm that illegal settlements and encroachments like this have started to escalate once again. The Foreign Minister told us the Government intends to maintain an effort to clear them by way of the Confidence Building Measures. Here are those comments:
Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"We have to look at this in a wide context, which is that we are engaging with our Guatemalan counterparts to see how we can clear all the illegal settlements along the border, and also, to try to have a way in which we can - as is required by the CBM - get them to dissuade their people from coming across. So, we are developing a plan to execute that and we hope over the months to come we will be able to do that."
"The information we have from the Belize Defence Force and Friends of Conservation and Development and others is that the incursions are increasing and have increased over the years as well. There is a change in the type of what is being found there. Cattle ranching has now become an issue. It seems to me that they develop a culture of allowing these things to just rest there. You identify them and not much is done in terms of removing them. The intention of this government, as approved by the National Security Council, is to move in a deliberate and expeditious way to have them identified and to have them removed. We have informed the Guatemalans that this is our intention, and so we proposed to enforce the Confidence Building Measures strictly. The Confidence Building Measures provide that everything to the east of the border is Belizean territory and that Belizean law applies. We will not tolerate any settlements in those areas."
"Now. having said that, it's a process. We have to do the verification, we have to inform them and we go through that process, but we are intending to do it."
In a press release from today, the Government said, quote, "The operation was carried out in full accordance with the Confidence Building Measures between Belize and Guatemala.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration is strongly protesting the incidents to Guatemalan authorities." End quote.
