On Wednesday, 5 August 2026, a routine maritime inspection along Guyana’s Pomeroon River erupted into a major political controversy after the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) halted a speedboat carrying Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, drawing sharp accusations of political weaponization from opposition lawmakers. The confrontation centers on competing claims over why the Moruca-bound vessel was blocked from continuing its journey, deepening already tense relations between the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration and the opposition bloc.
In an official statement responding to public criticism, the GDF clarified that its Coast Guard detachment stationed at the Pomeroon Floating Base stopped the vessel as part of regular compliance checks for vessels transiting local waterways. According to the military statement, the vessel’s operator failed to produce three mandatory documents required for passage: a valid boat master’s licence, official vessel registration, and a current certificate of vessel inspection. Under established GDF procedures, all vessels must register their journey at the floating base and present full documentation before proceeding to their destination. As a result of the missing paperwork, the captain was ordered to return to the nearby port of Charity to secure the required certifications before resuming the trip, the GDF explained.
The military emphasized that the inspection was not targeted at any individual or political group, framing the action as part of ongoing efforts to enforce maritime safety rules, boost waterway security, and ensure all operators comply with national regulations. The GDF also reminded all vessel operators to maintain up-to-date documentation and require all passengers to wear properly fitted lifejackets for the duration of all voyages.
Opposition leaders have rejected the military’s explanation, decrying the stop as a deliberate act of political repression orchestrated by the ruling PPPC. Speaking to reporters from a picket line outside the Office of the President, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentary Leader Dr. Terrence Campbell called the incident a dangerous escalation of authoritarian tactics, accusing the government of turning the GDF into a political weapon to violate core constitutional rights. “We are seeing this thing escalating now under this PPPC dictatorship,” Campbell said. “We are seeing a weaponisation of the Guyana Defence Force and this is worrying because especially the army they are there to uphold the constitution of Guyana.” Campbell added that the incident follows a similar alleged targeting of Mohamed the previous day, when security forces were deployed to the town of Linden during a protest at Watooka House, where the opposition leader’s boat was reportedly flagged for interdiction.
Mohamed, who confirmed he had chartered the speedboat to attend a planned peaceful protest in Moruca, backed up Campbell’s claims of political persecution. The opposition leader said his party departed Charity at approximately 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, arriving at the Pomeroon Floating Base an hour later to complete required check-in procedures for travel into the Atlantic Ocean. After the crew tied the vessel to the base and all passengers signed the required log, a GDF service member requested photographs of the group, which were provided without objection. The situation shifted, Mohamed said, when the same service member demanded to see the vessel’s registration documentation. The captain informed personnel that he had already transited the same waterway earlier that same morning without being asked for the documents, Mohamed added.
Ultimately, the trip was aborted, and Mohamed was forced to return to Charity. He claimed a police marine unit shadowed his vessel back to port, and he had received intelligence that plainclothes police were already waiting in the Moruca creek to intercept him on arrival. “Political persecution and victimization- they don’t want me to attend peaceful protest at Moruca. The President doesn’t want to see me there,” Mohamed said.
The trip had already faced a preliminary hurdle: the Toshao (indigenous village leader) of Santa Rosa issued a public advisory stating that Mohamed did not have permission to visit the community. But Mohamed pushed back against that restriction, noting that a majority of the village’s residents had requested he visit to address their concerns. He explained that he chartered the speedboat instead of using his personal vessel because his own boat has an extended engine that risks hitting submerged debris in the shallow local waterways.
Mohamed also challenged the GDF’s authority to carry out documentation checks, arguing that this responsibility falls exclusively to Guyana’s Maritime Administration, not the military. He further claimed that the vast majority of small vessels operating between Pomeroon and Moruca lack formal registration, even though most captains hold valid personal operating licenses.
