Briceño declares “Sarstoon is Belizean” following confrontation with Guatemala

By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): Prime Minister John Briceño delivered a strong message on Belizean sovereignty during his State of the Nation Address, declaring that “Sarstoon is Belizean. Belize is whole.”

Briceño addressed the September 10 confrontation in the Sarstoon, where a Belizean delegation was unable to complete its intended passage around Sarstoon Island amid the presence of Guatemalan vessels.

The Prime Minister said 53 Belizeans stood on the Sarstoon River that day and refused to be intimidated.

“We are a small nation, but we will not submit,” Briceño declared.

He maintained that Sarstoon Island is Belizean territory and that the mid channel of the Sarstoon River has marked the border since the 1859 treaty.

Briceño said Belize remains committed to resolving Guatemala’s territorial claim through the International Court of Justice and will not allow provocations to derail that process.

However, he warned that Belize’s commitment to peaceful resolution should not be interpreted as weakness.

The Prime Minister also praised members of the Belize Defence Force and Belize Coast Guard for remaining calm during the confrontation.

“You did not just defend a boundary. You defended who we are as a people,” Briceño told security personnel.

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