‘I Will Not Be Intimidated by Squatters,’ Espat Says After Shots Fired

Former area representative Jorge Espat is speaking out after an incident near the Belize–Guatemala adjacency zone sparked speculation online.

In a social media post, Espat said he was walking on family-owned land near the border on Thursday when gunfire came from the Guatemalan side. He said someone nearby alerted Guatemalan authorities, who responded to the scene and made contact with Espat and those with him, though he was clear the encounter was routine.

“Someone made a video and made it seem as if we were being questioned or detained, which was not the case,” he said, adding that authorities were “very professional and willing to provide assistance.”

Espat confirmed he was carrying a licensed firearm at the time, which he described as his legal right while on Belizean territory. He said he has made similar walks on the property on many occasions and has no intention of stopping.

“I will not be intimidated by people who are squatting on my land,” he wrote. “I know my rights and also know that I am a responsible citizen who would never enter another country with an unlicensed firearm.”

The adjacency zone is a five-kilometre buffer on each side of the Belize-Guatemala border, established under a 2003 agreement between the two countries while their territorial dispute remains unresolved. The area has seen periodic tension over land claims and squatting in recent years.

As far back as 2019, Guatemalan families had already established a settlement on the property, with some so entrenched they had utility bills in their names. When News Five visited the area that year, squatters confronted Espat directly, claiming they were standing on Guatemalan soil. The Organisation of American States, which monitors the adjacency zone, verified they were not.

Neither Guatemalan authorities nor the Belize government had publicly commented on the incident at the time of publication.