Soldiers of Belize Defense Force had yet another encounter with the Guatemalan Armed Forces in the Sarstoon. While the Ministry of Defense has not issued any details, this video taken by one of the soldiers shows them being followed inside Belizean water for several minutes. But before the chase, the soldiers warned the GAF that they were in Belizean waters and asked them to keep their distance. During this time, the Guatemalan soldiers kept repeating to speak to them in Spanish. Here is a snippet of that back and forth.
When we asked the Brigadier General for a comment, he stated that he was out of the country. However, the CEO in the Ministry of Defense told us, quote, "Tensions in the Sarstoon persist daily, but the brave men and women of the Belize Defence Force stand firm and ensure our sovereignty and territorial integrity remain in tact. While the Guatemalans try intimidation tactics, we continue to patrol both the northern and southern channels of the Sarstoon River, around the Sarstoon Island, and we ensure we maintain our presence and the Guatemalan military is constantly reminded that the Sarstoon Island IS Belizean territory… Without divulging too many operational details, I can confirm that we have modified our tactics in order to be more effective in the area. This includes more vessels, bigger vessels and more manpower." End quote.
