In response to an unprecedented wave of deadly violent crime that has swept across the nation, Belize’s Governor-General Dame Froyla Tzalam has signed an official proclamation enacting a State of Public Emergency across large swathes of Belize City and multiple communities in the broader Belize District. The measure went into effect on May 8, 2026, following a sharp uptick in gang-related and public shootings that have left multiple people dead in just one week.
Formally published as Statutory Instrument No. 49 of 2026 in the government gazette on Thursday, the emergency order is authorized under Section 18 of Belize’s Constitution. It divides the affected regions into two distinct schedules. The first schedule covers 11 separate zones spanning both the Northside and Southside of Belize City, including key corridors bounded by Freetown Road, Princess Margaret Drive, Barrack Road, Cemetery Road, the Philip Goldson Highway, and stretches of land along Haulover Creek and the Caribbean Sea. The second schedule expands the emergency designation to 10 outlying communities: Ladyville Village, Burrell Boom Village, Fresh Pond Community, Buttercup Estates, Bermudian Landing Village, Lemonal Village, Isabella Bank, Rancho Dolores Village, and Double Head Cabbage Village.
Per the constitutional language that underpins the declaration, the state of emergency is justified by actions “taken or being immediately threatened by any person or body of persons of such a nature and on so extensive a scale as to be likely to endanger the public safety.” The order takes immediate effect upon proclamation and will remain active for a maximum of one month unless government officials choose to revoke it earlier. Belize’s National Assembly holds the authority to extend the emergency measure for additional periods, with each extension allowed to last up to 12 months.
The emergency declaration comes in the immediate aftermath of a staggering spike in fatal violence that has jolted the nation. On Thursday evening, what should have been a routine night of business at a popular local venue turned into a bloody crime scene when gunshots rang out inside Da Buzz Lounge along the Philip Goldson Highway, shortly after the establishment opened for the night. The attack killed 34-year-old Salma Funez, a mother of three. Law enforcement has already arrested and charged a 16-year-old male in connection with the shooting.
Less than two hours after the lounge attack, a second fatal shooting unfolded in Belize City’s Cet Site neighborhood. 29-year-old construction worker Jamal Samuels was gunned down when armed suspects exited an unmarked dark vehicle and opened fire on a group of men gathered outside.
This back-to-back violence followed a brazen midday shooting just days earlier on the Philip Goldson Highway near Haulover Bridge at Mile 4. Victims Hubert Baptist and Eric Fraser were targeted by a gunman driving a midsize SUV, who chased the victims’ vehicle before pulling alongside and opening fire. Witnesses reported more than a dozen shots were fired, causing the victims’ vehicle to lose control and roll over.
These recent attacks are the culmination of weeks of steadily escalating violence across the district. Earlier victims of the unrest include 19-year-old Jamir “Jam” Cambranes of Euphrates Avenue, 17-year-old Alwin Marin Jr., 19-year-old Jaheil Westby—all residents of Belize City—and 24-year-old Steve Lewis, a delivery worker from Dangriga.