Guatemala Flags Overlap in Belize/Honduras Claim

The battle over Belize’s southern waters just got more complicated. At The Hague today, Guatemala reminded the court that this isn’t the first time these islands have sparked a legal showdown. In fact, Guatemala and Belize have been locked in a separate case since 2019 over the same territory. Now, with Belize filing a new claim against Honduras, the ICJ faces a tricky question: how do you untangle two overlapping disputes without tipping the scales? It’s a legal puzzle with big implications for regional sovereignty.

 

Ana Cristina Rodriguez Pineda, Guatemalan Ambassador

“This question is already before the court as a result of the case brought jointly by Guatemala and Belize through a special agreement concluded fourteen years before Belize’s application against Honduras. That case, pending before this court since 2019, concerns inter alia Guatemala’s insular claim against Belize for sovereignty over Cayo Zapotillos. Notably, Belize commenced the present proceedings just a few days before Guatemala was due to file its reply in the Guatemala/Belize case on December 8^th, 2022. This move by Belize has created an unfortunate procedural conundrum for the court. For the sake of consistency and efficiency, hearing the merits of the two overlapping cases, back-to-back, could be appropriate, particularly if Guatemala is permitted to intervene. The interplay between the two cases is obvious. It has specifically been acknowledged by Belize in correspondence and over the course of several meetings with Honduras. For instance, in notes verbals between April and October 2022, Belize sought to obtain guarantees from Honduras that it “would not assert a claim to the Sapodilla Cayes by way of application to intervene in the case before the International Court of Justice pending between Belize and Guatemala”.