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In about four months, the International Court of Justice will conduct oral hearings to determine whether Guatemala’s application for inclusion would be accepted. The application from Guatemala is to be included as a party in the case where Honduras is claiming Belize’s Sapodilla Cayes as theirs. A release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed today that the court will hear the matter on November 24 at The Hague in The Netherlands. The hearing will determine whether Guatemala’s interest in the case has sufficient legal basis for them to be included. Belize had initiated the case on November 16, 2022, requesting the ICJ to, quote, “adjudge and declare that, as between Belize and Honduras, Belize is sovereign over the Sapodilla Cayes.” End of quote. At the time of the filing, Prime Minister John Briceno told Love News that the claim by Honduras has absolutely no basis and that the evidence would reflect such. Here is a snippet of the Prime Minister’s interview back in December 2022.
Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “We all know that Honduras has zero chances of winning the Sapodilla Cayes. They changed their constitution when they heard that we were going to get independence to be able to include the Sapodilla Cayes. There are records over decades that whenever they want to have access to the Sapodilla Cayes they would write the British asking them permission so in effect you are accepting that the British had ownership to these lands. When they want to use them they would write to the Government of Belize if they could have access so they have admitted that they have. Now that we’re settling at the ICJ with Guatemala and it was brought to attention now that Honduras wants to do something about that then we had to take proactive measures, proactive action to ensure that we could try see how we could address that matter almost in conjunction with the case against Guatemala.”
After the 2022 filing, Belize submitted its Memorial in May 2023, with Honduras filing its Counter-Memorial in December 2023. Both parties had agreed that no further written pleadings would be required. However, the trajectory of the case shifted on December 1, 2023, when Guatemala formally applied to intervene. While Belize indicated no objection to Guatemala’s involvement, Honduras formally objected, necessitating the upcoming oral hearings to resolve this preliminary matter. In a statement issued today by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, assurances were given that the Office of the Agent (OOTA), in close collaboration with the legal teams handling both territorial cases before the ICJ, is fully prepared to effectively represent Belize’s national interests during the November hearings. Honduras’ claim over the Sapodilla Cayes is based on its 1982 Constitution which states that the Sapodilla Cayes belong to Honduras. Belize, on the other hand, argues that it has exercised continuous and peaceful possession over the Cayes since the early 19th century, first as part of the British settlement of Belize and then as the colony of British Honduras.
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