Death of Julio René Alvarado
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Julio René Alvarado Ruano (c. 2002 – 20 April 2016) was a fourteen-year-old Guatemalan boy who was killed in the Belize–Guatemala adjacency zone during an armed confrontation between the Belize Defence Force, Belizean park rangers, and Guatemalan farmers.[1][2] The incident raised tensions between Belize and Guatemala, who have an ongoing border dispute since 1821.[3][4] Belizean officials maintain that the Belize Defence Force acted in self-defence.[5] However, the Guatemalan government claims the incident was a deliberate attack carried out by Belize's military.[5] After the incident, the Organisation of American States agreed to investigate the death of Julio Alvarado at the request of both countries.[6]