At one point or another, even the least noticeable of nations sometimes get into a dispute of their own, especially if this concerns territorial disputes. Sovereignty is just a very important component of a country's existence that when it is threatened, people are called to arms.
Such is the case for Belize, whose territorial disputes with its neighbor Guatemala has already become deadly, prompting other officials to carry it to the International Court of Justice already. This is because these are the only recourses left.
For Belize and Guatemala, the territorial dispute started as early as during the time that Belize hadn't been born into an independent nation yet. In fact, it starts during the colonial era, when both Spain and the United Kingdom are in conflict regarding the vast resources that they could get in Central America. Back then, Spain had Guatemala, while the British wants to continue its hold on Belize (then called the British Honduras).
When the Spanish left Guatemala, it was left to the Guatemalans to fight with the British to claim the land. Today, Belize is already a recognized state that is still in conflict with its Central American neighbor. The conflict is not one of history's biggest or bloodiest, but it certainly is one of the world's oldest. Belize's rich natural resources spur the continuation of the conflict.
Once in a while, we get certain cases of violence involving the same problem. For example, in 2001, a land dispute between two families separated by the border turned into a deadly raid when soldiers were involved. Belize's armed forces ended up shooting the family on the other side in what was perhaps the most violent turn of events in the conflict's history.
Will the territorial dispute ever end? We can only hope for the best. It has already been more than 100 years since the start of the dispute but a resolution is still nowhere in sight. It's not easy to solve a problem as deeply rooted as that.
