GAF in Belizean Waters, AGAIN!

On the morning of December 17, around 8:30 a.m., a Belize Coast Guard patrol stationed at Hunting Caye reported the sighting of a Guatemalan naval vessel within Belizean waters near Ragged Caye, approximately three miles south of Hunting Caye. According to Coast Guard Commander Captain Elton Bennett, the patrol proceeded to the location and encountered a Guatemalan hydrographic vessel, approximately 65 feet in length, which was subsequently informed it had entered Belizean waters.

“There was a vessel that appeared to be a hydrographic vessel in the area of Ragged Caye that belonged to the Guatemalan Navy—65 feet in length—and the patrol then informed them that they were inside Belizean waters. There was an exchange of words at that location, and eventually the Guatemalan patrol vessel departed.”

Captain Bennett says that there was no grounding and no arms were drawn. The vessel was escorted outside of Belizean waters.

The Ministry of Defence was notified, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to issue a protest note, following standard protocol. Captain Bennett said, “We believe that the diplomatic channels would now kick in, and that’s the route that we will rely on from now on to confirm exactly what occurred.”

He added, “It wasn’t an aggressive encounter despite that they were inside Belizean waters. There were no weapons drawn, and it was not a grounding.”

According to Captain Bennett, this was the second sighting of a Guatemalan naval vessel in the area in the past two to three years, the last having occurred approximately two years ago. However, our records show that in September of this year, Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) were found operating within Belizean territory for the second time. Reports emerged of Guatemalan naval vessels, including one named Quetzal, being spotted off the coast of Barranco Village. Despite being informed by the Belize Defence Force (BDF) that they were outside their jurisdiction and provided with GPS coordinates, the GAF refused to leave. The situation was resolved only after the Belize Coast Guard (BCG) intervened, and the Guatemalan vessels departed several hours later. Major Roberta Usher, BDF Chief of Staff, explained that the routine patrol had detected the vessels near their Forward Operating Base. The vessels, numbering three to five, were seen moving between Belizean and Guatemalan waters over the weekend. Authorities are awaiting confirmation on whether the vessels were illegally intruding.

He said the Coast Guard would continue its patrols from its forward operating base at Hunting Caye and ensure the integrity of Belize’s territorial waters.