Two weeks after assuming control of one of Belize’s most high-stakes cabinet portfolios, newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs and National Defense Michel Chebat has laid out his policy agenda for tackling the country’s most pressing security threats. The appointment comes as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle initiated by Prime Minister John Briceño in the wake of the 2025 general elections, a move designed to shore up stability and strengthen strategic leadership within Belize’s national security apparatus.
In his first public address since taking office, Chebat revealed that his initial two weeks in the role have been dedicated to a comprehensive audit of the security institutions under his oversight. “I spent these last two weeks familiarizing myself with the organizations, speaking to the high command mostly, trying to understand exactly what’s going on with each organization, trying to identify the gaps that there are, the processes they have in place, and just trying to get a feel for what’s happening within the organizations,” Chebat explained during an on-record interview.
When pressed to name his top policy priorities for the newly consolidated “super ministry”, Chebat highlighted two core areas that will command immediate government attention. Top of the agenda is citizen security, a pressing issue amid ongoing violent street crime that has strained public confidence in Belize’s domestic safety infrastructure. Second only to domestic public safety is border security, a hot-button issue following a series of recent high-profile incursions in the Sarstoon region and an unauthorized overflight of Belizean airspace that have raised alarms over national sovereignty.
The consolidated national security portfolio includes two chief executive officers and multiple overlapping operational departments, leading to questions about how Chebat will structure his leadership to streamline operations. Chebat expressed full confidence in his two senior leaders, noting that each brings specialized experience to the role. Dr. Almendariz, his first CEO, brings years of high-level leadership experience from Belize’s energy and port sectors, where Chebat himself has worked for the past four years. For the new operational areas that fall under the ministry—including the Belize Defence Force, the Belize Coast Guard, and the national police department—Chebat pointed to the proven capability of CEO Francis Osha, who will lead oversight of these core security branches. Chebat emphasized that he does not plan to dismantle existing working structures within the security institutions, instead focusing on targeted improvements to address identified gaps. “It’s not like we have to start from zero,” Chebat said. “I think the task is really to identify what’s happening, understand what’s happening, and how we can make it better.”
This report is adapted from a full televised evening newscast; any Kriol-language remarks from the original broadcast have been transcribed using a standardized spelling system for accessibility.