What was the dispute between Guatemala and Britain over British Honduras?

The dispute between Guatemala and Britain over the territory now known as Belize originated from Guatemala’s claim that it inherited Spanish interests in the region following the collapse of the Spanish Empire.12

While Britain had established a settlement of logwood and mahogany cutters on the coast, Spain had historically retained sovereignty over the area. In 1859, Great Britain and Guatemala signed a treaty to define the boundaries of the territory. However, the agreement included a final article requiring both parties to establish "the easiest communication" between Guatemala and the settlement.123

The dispute became intractable after 1940, when Guatemala declared the 1859 treaty null and void, arguing that Britain had failed to fulfill the obligation to develop that communication infrastructure. This territorial disagreement persisted throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, complicating Belize's path to independence in 1981. Although Guatemala eventually recognized Belize as an independent state in the early 1990s, the border dispute continued. In 2008, both nations agreed to submit the case to the International Court of Justice for a final legal resolution, subject to national referenda.123