Carib Scope

分类： politics

  • COMMENTARY: UPP could be out of Government for at least 10-15 years

    COMMENTARY: UPP could be out of Government for at least 10-15 years

    The 2026 general elections in Antigua and Barbuda, held on April 30, have delivered a historic fourth consecutive landslide victory to Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his Antigua-Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP). The ruling party secured an overwhelming 15 of the 17 available parliamentary seats, leaving just two seats to be split between Jemale Pringle’s United Progressive Party (UPP) and Trevor Walker’s Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM). This win extends Browne’s unbroken streak of electoral victories that began in 2014, solidifying his control over the party and national politics.

    A defining feature of Browne’s leadership transformation of the ABLP is visible in the current parliamentary cohort: only 3 of the party’s 15 sitting members entered politics under the decades-old Bird Dynasty, while 12 owe their electoral success and legislative positions directly to Browne’s patronage and leadership. This shift allows Browne to continue reshaping the party in his own political image, a project that has now been extended for another full term.

    What should have been a triumphant formal launch of the government’s fourth term quickly devolved into controversy during the opening joint parliamentary sitting for the Throne Speech. In an unexpected turn, Opposition Leader-designate Jemale Pringle was ejected from the chamber, prompting all remaining opposition parliamentarians to stage a mass walk-out in protest. The incident has raised troubling questions about parliamentary transparency: the Senate President refused to allow the Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate to read a letter allegedly sent to Pringle confirming his invitation to take the oath of office, leaving many to question whether Pringle was unfairly treated in the process.

    Political analyst Arvel Grant, a public health and international development specialist with decades of experience contributing to global outlets including the BBC, Voice of America, Al Jazeera and Caribbean regional media, has characterized the ejection as an ill-timed, unforced error. Grant notes that the controversy turned a minor procedural footnote into a major national talking point, creating a distracting split narrative that overshadowed the Throne Speech, the centrepiece of the new term’s opening. He argues that given the scale of their electoral mandate, Browne and the Senate President should uphold the dignity of Labour’s victory through strategic statecraft, combining executive strength with humility and thoughtful parliamentary leadership. The ejection, Grant argues, is an unstatesmanlike own goal that is unbefitting a party that has just won four straight national elections.

    For the UPP, the 2026 result marks a devastating collapse that could keep the party out of national government for 10 to 15 years. After coming within touching distance of victory in the 2022 snap elections, when analysts credited the party’s near-win to a “COVID shove” and temporary shifts in broadcast alignment, many expected the UPP to carry that momentum into the 2026 contest, which was called two years ahead of schedule. Instead, the party crashed back to its 2018 performance level, almost being eliminated from parliament entirely.

    Grant has outlined 10 key recommendations for the UPP to rebuild its credibility and electoral prospects over the coming years. First, he urges the party to resist calls for a name change, noting that the ABLP’s nearly 90-year brand is a core source of its stability and voter trust. Second, the party should form an interim shadow cabinet from its sitting MPs and defeated candidates who remain willing to serve, operating as a fully functional loyal opposition and government-in-waiting that meets regularly just like the ruling cabinet. Third, the party must open a full internal review of its 2026 campaign strategy and challenges, and put the future of the current leadership to a vote of active General Council and convention members.

    Fourth, Grant recommends introducing a tiered membership structure with annual dues, which will help the party build up steady reserves to fund campaign and operational activities. Fifth, the UPP should hand control of internal voter registration and list preparation to an independent committee of respected senior attorneys, auditors and former electoral officials, to clean up its internal electoral processes in line with the party constitution. Sixth, after this cleanup, the party should hold an open, transparent leadership convention where candidates for office have no control over the electoral machinery, to shake its long-held reputation for chronic infighting and internal division.

    Once a new leadership is confirmed or retained, the party should formalize constituency caretaker roles, then reshuffle the shadow cabinet to align with the new leader’s policy priorities. An active, aggressive shadow cabinet will force current and future prime ministers to think twice before calling early snap elections, Grant argues. Finally, Grant calls on the UPP to end its longstanding habit of criticizing and alienating immigrants and low-income segments of the population. No party can win national elections by alienating large swathes of the electorate, their friends and family, he notes. He adds that blaming voters for low protest turnout and election losses is misplaced: poor results are almost always a failure of party mobilization, not a failure of the electorate.

    As the ABLP begins its fourth term, Antigua and Barbuda faces significant economic headwinds, driven by persistent global uncertainty around oil prices and the associated costs of energy and essential services. All sectors of the political establishment will need to collaborate to steer the country through these challenging coming years.

  • Pringle Calls for More Respectful Parliament and Earlier Access to Bills

    Pringle Calls for More Respectful Parliament and Earlier Access to Bills

    Following the April 30 general election in Antigua and Barbuda, the first regular sitting of the country’s House of Representatives brought a landmark opening address from newly sworn-in Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle, who laid out a vision for a more constructive, respectful legislative landscape for the incoming term.

    Pringle took the parliamentary floor shortly after being formally sworn in as the representative for All Saints East and St. Luke — a constituency he has been re-elected to for a third consecutive term. Opening his remarks on a note of goodwill, he first extended formal congratulations to the governing Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party on its recent electoral success, followed by congratulations to newly appointed Speaker of the House Sir Gerald Watt and Deputy Speaker Fillmore Benjamin on their new roles. He also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the voters who placed their trust in him for another term. “I want to thank the wonderful people of All Saints East and St. Luke who would have trusted me for the third time with the affairs of managing that constituency and representing them,” Pringle said.

    Shifting focus to the priorities for his opposition bloc in the new Parliament, Pringle called for a deliberate break from the confrontational rhetoric and heated exchanges that defined many past legislative sittings. As the leader of the minority parliamentary bloc, Pringle emphasized that even without a governing majority, the opposition has a critical role to play in advancing the national good. “While we are the minority, we believe we can make a significant impact in this country,” he said.

    Pringle pledged to uphold a standard of respectful conduct across all parliamentary proceedings, and committed to recognizing the Speaker’s authority at all times. In turn, he stressed that impartial leadership from the Speaker’s chair is foundational to ensuring equitable debate between governing and opposition members. “I am committed to ensuring that the level of respect that I bring to this honourable House is one that supersedes any differences,” he said. Acknowledging past concerns about his conduct, Pringle offered a broad apology for any actions that had previously been perceived as disrespectful, framing the new term as a fresh start for collaborative working relationships.

    Looking ahead, Pringle said he expects a balanced working dynamic where both the government and opposition can articulate their positions openly. A truly balanced legislative body, he argued, builds public trust that elected officials are advancing the nation’s interests effectively, rather than prioritizing partisan conflict.

    One key procedural reform Pringle pushed for was earlier distribution of draft legislation to opposition lawmakers. He called on the Attorney General’s Chambers and all parliamentary staff responsible for circulating bills to provide opposition members with sufficient advance notice before debates are scheduled. “I am calling on the AG and the members of the House who deal with the circulation of bills to do so in a timely manner and to please give us the opportunity that we can research, come back to this honourable House and debate as we are to,” he said. This call for earlier access comes as the new Parliament prepares to take up a sweeping slate of major legislative reforms, including bills addressing sexual offences, theft, plea negotiations, cannabis regulation, workplace harassment, mental health policy and medical laboratory standards.

    Pringle’s opening address marks a clear strategic shift for the opposition at the outset of the new term: establishing a collaborative, constructive tone while reaffirming the bloc’s core responsibility to hold the government to account through rigorous scrutiny of legislation and policy.

  • Walton-Desir to assist Primus on House Foreign Relations Committee

    Walton-Desir to assist Primus on House Foreign Relations Committee

    A recent parliamentary procedural ruling in Guyana has blocked the leader of a small opposition party from earning a seat on official legislative committees, prompting opposition leaders to arrange an informal collaborative workaround to leverage the politician’s deep policy expertise. The decision centers on Amanza Walton-Desir, founder and leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), who previously served as the opposition shadow minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation during the 2020–2025 legislative term as a representative for the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition.

    Following last September’s general and regional elections, the FGM secured just 4,332 votes overall, a total that Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir has ruled insufficient to qualify the party for representation on any parliamentary committee, in line with Guyana’s proportional representation rules for committee assignments.

    Azruddin Mohamed, opposition leader and head of the opposition-aligned We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, confirmed that while Nadir’s ruling blocks Walton-Desir from an official committee seat, the party has arranged for her to work alongside Odessa Primus, WIN’s nominated chair of the bipartisan parliamentary sectoral committee on foreign relations. Mohamed noted that foreign policy falls directly in line with Walton-Desir’s long-standing area of expertise, making the informal collaboration a logical choice to strengthen the committee’s opposition oversight.

    “Even though my original goal was to secure Walton-Desir an official seat on the foreign relations committee, Speaker Nadir has made clear that per proportional allocation, her party’s vote share does not qualify for any committee position,” Mohamed explained in comments to Demerara Waves Online News.

    WIN frontbencher Tabitha Sarabo-Halley added that the party had initially hoped to place Walton-Desir on two separate panels: the constitutional reform committee and the parliamentary management committee. It was during the nomination process for the parliamentary management committee that Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira and Speaker Nadir formally confirmed that Walton-Desir could not be seated on any committee due to her party’s low vote total in the 2025 general election.

    The procedural outcome highlights how Guyana’s proportional representation framework for legislative committees limits representation for small, newly formed parties, even when those parties field candidates with extensive prior parliamentary and policy experience.

  • President offers GAWU to run a sugar estate

    President offers GAWU to run a sugar estate

    Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali has extended a public, unprecedented challenge to the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) to take over management of one of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO)’s remaining operational sugar estates, as the government continues grappling with plummeting production in the country’s iconic but struggling sugar sector. The proposal was delivered Tuesday during a wreath-laying ceremony marking Enmore Martyr’s Day, a key event in Guyana’s labor history.

    Addressing attendees including GAWU President Seepaul Narine, who also serves as a member of parliament for the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP), Ali extended an open invitation for the union to step into operations. “We also invited the union if you would like to take up the mantle of management and to take one of the estates and make it a model. We give you that challenge openly to take one of the estates and to manage it,” Ali stated, urging the union not to step back from the opportunity. The president framed the proposal as a test of alternative management models for the ailing industry, adding that the administration stands ready to collaborate with GAWU if it accepts the offer.

    Ali also defended the government’s decision to inject billions of dollars in public funding into the wholly state-owned GUYSUCO, arguing that without this financial support, the entire sugar industry would have collapsed entirely. The president reaffirmed the government’s ongoing commitment to backing the sugar sector, even as the administration explores new strategies to secure the industry’s long-term viability in the face of persistent financial losses and mounting debt.

    To address one of the sector’s most pressing challenges – a severe nationwide labor shortage – Ali pointed to the ongoing shift toward mechanized cane harvesting as a core solution. He confirmed that mechanization has already been rolled out across 44 percent of GUYSUCO’s cane lands, and the industry is adopting other modern technological upgrades too: traditional vehicle-based field inspections and fertilizer application are being replaced by drone systems, which cut both operational costs and completion times.

    “Modernisation of the sugar industry is necessary for its survival, resilience and sustainability,” Ali emphasized.

    The announcement also comes amid a previously reported pattern: while Ali has repeatedly threatened to dismiss senior officials at loss-making GUYSUCO over its poor performance, no executive removals have been carried out to date.

  • President steunt initiatief SVJ voor zelfregulering journalistiek

    President steunt initiatief SVJ voor zelfregulering journalistiek

    On Tuesday, Suriname President Jennifer Simons held an introductory meeting with the newly seated board of the Suriname Journalists Association (SVJ), where she publicly voiced full government support for industry-led self-regulation of journalism and agreed to continue structured regular dialogue between the executive branch and the professional media body. The talks centered on three pressing challenges: rising disinformation, the growing impact of artificial intelligence on news ecosystems, and expanded access to government information for working journalists.

    Across the meeting, participants prioritized discussions around core principles of press freedom, improving journalistic quality, and the disruptive influence of unmoderated content on social media platforms. President Simons commended the SVJ’s proactive initiative to develop a formal framework for self-regulation and journalist accreditation, noting that such a system would create clear, public distinctions between professional, ethically grounded reporting and the unvetted information that circulates widely across social channels.

    In its remarks to the president, the SVJ board emphasized that the journalism profession itself is best positioned to take ownership of quality oversight and enforcement of professional ethical standards. The association is currently finalizing development of its national journalist accreditation system, and plans to present a full proposal to the Suriname government following the completion of parliamentary budget deliberations.

    One of the most urgent topics addressed during the conversation was the growing impact of social media platforms, generative artificial intelligence, and influencers on national news consumption. President Simons highlighted that ordinary Surinamese citizens increasingly struggle to separate reliable professional reporting from personal opinion and deliberately spread disinformation that can undermine public trust. She called on the SVJ to lead efforts to expand public media literacy, and develop targeted training programs for both working journalists and high-reach influencers who hold significant sway over public opinion.

    The SVJ board acknowledged that influencers have carved out an important role in modern public discourse, but stressed that they cannot replace the work of professional journalists. The association reaffirmed that core journalistic standards—including source verification, the right of reply, factual accuracy, and editorial independence—remain the foundational requirements for trustworthy news provision. Journalism, the board noted, is a regulated profession practiced in line with globally recognized professional ethical principles.

    In additional requests to the president, the SVJ pushed for more open access to government information. The association called for media outlets to be invited more regularly to key government events, allowing journalists to conduct on-the-ground reporting rather than relying exclusively on official press statements distributed by the Suriname Communication Service (CDS). The meeting also covered progress on the country’s Freedom of Information Act and improving accessibility for journalists to engage directly with cabinet ministers.

    President Simons reaffirmed that the Suriname government fully recognizes the critical role of a free and independent press in a functional democracy. She emphasized that setting professional standards for journalism is the responsibility of the industry body, not the state, aligning with the principle of editorial independence. Simons expressed clear commitment to continuing structured regular dialogue between the government and the SVJ, with the shared goal of building a more reliable national information ecosystem and a more resilient society at a time when disinformation and AI-driven content pose growing challenges.

    The meeting included the full SVJ board: Chair Nita Ramcharan, Deputy Chair Ivan Cairo, Secretary Wilfred Leeuwin, Treasurer Vishmohanie Thomas, Second Secretary Amanda Palis, Second Treasurer Ryaen La Rose, and Commissioner Harvey Panka. Accompanying President Simons were Chief of Staff Sergio Akiemboto and Cabinet Communication Coordinator Previen Sewnath.

  • Contract Shift Keeps Spotlight on Mira Family Ties

    Contract Shift Keeps Spotlight on Mira Family Ties

    In Belize, long-simmering questions about political nepotism and opaque government procurement have reignited after a recent shift in Ministry of Defense contracts linked to the family of Belmopan Area Representative Oscar Mira. What has drawn new public attention is not a new contract, but a subtle reshuffling: where one member of the Mira family once held a lucrative supply agreement, another close relative has now taken its place, renewing calls for full transparency in public sector contracting.

    For months, Oscar Mira has faced growing scrutiny over deals awarded to his relatives for supplying food produce to Belizean military bases. Previously, the system relied on multiple small-scale local vegetable vendors delivering directly to installations across the country. That structure was replaced in recent years with a single exclusive contract awarded to Jenny Mira, the politician’s relative. Now, 2026 tender results show Jenny Mira is no longer listed as a successful bidder for the defense ministry’s vegetable supply. But in her place, another of Mira’s siblings – brother Stanley Mira – has been awarded a new separate contract for staple grains including rice and beans, according to official tender documents obtained by local outlet News Five.

    Internal sources within the Belize Defense Force confirmed to News Five that the centralized single-supplier model now sees just one weekly delivery to Price Barracks, the country’s main military installation. From there, produce is redistributed to outlying bases: deliveries reach Orange Walk and Cayo bases every Wednesday, and the southern Punta Gorda base every Thursday. Critics have raised two core concerns with the new arrangement: first, that it cuts out small local vendors who previously held direct supply contracts, hurting local small business owners; second, that the reshuffling of contracts between family members raises serious questions about whether the tender process is being influenced by political connections rather than open competition.

    The defense ministry alone spends more than $20,000 per month on rice and beans for military rations, according to historical procurement records, making the contract a high-value public expenditure. As scrutiny of the new arrangement grows, Oscar Mira has declined repeated requests for comment from the press. When News Five reporters visited Mira’s constituency office on San Martin Road in Belmopan, the site itself added another layer to the controversy: the road’s 2021 rehabilitation was carried out by Fast Construction, a firm that has previously faced questions over its reported links to the Mira family.

    Records of the company’s Facebook page show Fast Construction launched its social media presence in March 2021, just four months after Mira won election in November 2020. By July of that same year, the firm was posting photos of its completed work on San Martin Road. When reporters approached Belmopan City Hall for comment, current Mayor Pablo Cawich told News Five the rehabilitation project was completed before he took office, but the city council is currently conducting a full audit of contracts awarded during the prior administration of former Mayor Palacio.

    Cawich explained that when his administration took over, it retained the same auditing team from the prior government and ordered full completion of backlogged audits. “When we came into office, we met with the auditors, the same auditors from previous administrations and we ask them these audits need to happen. So whatever it takes, let us know and we will do whatever is needed to ensure that these audits are completed,” Cawich said. “So in 2024, we were still trying to finalize the execution of audits from 2017. I can say that we are presently working on the audits from 2022 to 2024 and we are hoping to have those ready around December of this year, and that will also include the first year of [Mira’s current] administration.”

    Cawich noted that he maintains a regular collaborative working relationship with Mira, meeting monthly to coordinate on projects for Belmopan residents, and stressed that the city council currently has no active contracts with any companies tied to the Mira family. When asked directly if the Belmopan City Council has awarded any contracts to Mira-linked entities, Cawich said: “I was searching. I think I can say very clearly that no contract exists from the council for the Mira family, from the Belmopan City council.”

    Even so, the defense ministry contracts are just the latest in a string of questions over political connections in public procurement across Belizean government agencies. It remains to be seen whether the shift from Jenny to Stanley Mira will trigger further public backlash, but one fact is clear: questions about potential nepotism and lack of transparency in government contracting continue to follow Oscar Mira, and show no sign of fading from public debate. This report was prepared by Shane Williams for News Five.

  • CEO Bennett Says Mira Unshaken Amid Contract Controversy

    CEO Bennett Says Mira Unshaken Amid Contract Controversy

    As the Briceño administration faces mounting public pressure over alleged impropriety in government contracting, a top official at Belize’s Ministry of Home Affairs has publicly pushed back against growing criticism, insisting that minister Oscar Mira remains fully focused on his portfolio despite weeks of unaddressed controversy.

    After Mira maintained a public silence for multiple weeks following the emergence of reports linking his family members to lucrative state food supply contracts, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, chief executive officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, broke ranks to speak out on the minister’s behalf. In an on-the-record interview with local media, Bennett rejected the growing backlash against Mira, framing the allegations as nothing more than distracting “noise in the market” that has had no impact on the minister’s ability to lead.

    Bennett emphasized that Mira has continued to oversee core ministry functions without interruption, including ongoing work across the Forensics Services and national Police Department, two key agencies under the home affairs portfolio. “From what I see, the noise out there has little or no impact on his ability to provide leadership to the ministry,” Bennett stated, adding that the ongoing controversy has no connection to public trust in the minister or the integrity of his work. When asked whether the scandal undermines ongoing efforts to rebuild public confidence in law enforcement, Bennett flatly rejected the link, saying he sees no threat to the minister’s integrity.

    The controversy ignited after opposition figures from the United Democratic Party (UDP) raised alarms over reports that multiple government food provision contracts, covering everything from fresh vegetables to bulk staples, were awarded to companies tied to Mira’s close relatives. UDP leader Tracy Panton confirmed that the party has formally filed a Freedom of Information request to force full public disclosure of all agreements between the government and any entities linked to the Mira family.

    The request opens the door to a broader investigation into the full lifecycle of the contracts, with Panton’s party demanding answers to a long list of unresolved questions: the identity of the winning bidders, the total value of the awards, whether public tenders were properly advertised, how bids were evaluated and approved, whether required procurement protocols were followed, whether mandatory conflict of interest disclosures were submitted, and whether any politically exposed persons held stakes in the awarded companies. The opposition is also probing claims that invoices may have been split, stacked or inflated to avoid regulatory scrutiny, that public officials faced improper pressure to approve early payments before goods were delivered, and whether the government received fair market value for the public funds spent.

    The unfolding scandal has put the sitting Briceño administration under intense public and political scrutiny, turning what began as isolated contracting reports into a major test of the government’s commitment to transparent procurement ethics. As of publication, Minister Mira has yet to issue a public response to the allegations himself.

  • Saldivar’s Possible Political Comeback Faces Party Roadblock

    Saldivar’s Possible Political Comeback Faces Party Roadblock

    As political intrigue builds in Belmopan ahead of upcoming general elections, former area representative John Saldivar has made an unexpected return to the public political sphere, launching a vocal campaign targeting sitting Minister Oscar Mira. After years on the political sidelines, where he was widely regarded as a persona non grata within opposition circles, Saldivar has leveraged social media to position himself as the leading critic of Mira’s tenure, stoking widespread speculation that he intends to mount a comeback for his old Belmopan legislative seat.

    However, the United Democratic Party (UDP), the party Saldivar once represented, has moved quickly to shut down any path for his return to frontline electoral politics. In a public statement confirming the party’s pre-set candidate plans, UDP Leader Tracy Panton acknowledged that all opposition figures — including Saldivar — have a constitutional right to criticize what the party frames as corruption under Minister Mira. During a nearly two-hour strategy meeting focused largely on addressing Mira’s alleged misconduct, Panton made clear that the UDP has already locked in its candidate for the upcoming Belmopan race.

    That candidate is Khalid Belisle, a well-established local political figure who served two consecutive terms as mayor of Belmopan between 2015 and 2021. Panton emphasized that Belisle has been fully prepared and endorsed as the party’s official caretaker for the constituency, leaving no opening for Saldivar to secure the UDP nomination. While Saldivar’s social media blitz has drawn significant public attention and reignited interest in his political career, Panton’s announcement makes clear that any comeback attempt will face a major institutional roadblock from the party’s top leadership.

  • Home Affairs Ministry Defends Strategy Amid Post-SOE Violence

    Home Affairs Ministry Defends Strategy Amid Post-SOE Violence

    Less than a fortnight after Belize wrapped up a one-month State of Emergency (SOE) targeting gang-related criminal activity, a fresh wave of deadly violence has reignited public and political debate over whether the emergency security measures delivered on their promises. With growing public skepticism over the effectiveness of the government’s high-profile crackdown, local reporters pressed senior leadership at the Ministry of Home Affairs to address lingering questions: did the SOE achieve its core goals, or does the recent spike in killings prove the initiative fell short of its objectives?

    In an exclusive response to media queries, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, chief executive officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, defended the multi-pronged policing strategy implemented during the SOE, pushing back against claims that the renewed violence invalidates the emergency measure’s impact.

    Bennett explained that during the State of Emergency, authorities deployed a layered approach to address chronic gang violence concentrated in Belize City. The first pillar of the strategy was a aggressive, targeted law enforcement crackdown focused on high-risk hardened criminals and known gang affiliates. What was initially framed as a Belize City-focused operation was later expanded to outlying regional areas to ensure no high-priority targets could evade capture, Bennett said, noting that this hard-line intervention produced clear, positive results in disrupting criminal networks.

    Crucially, Bennett emphasized that the hard enforcement action was always paired with complementary intervention and mediation initiatives designed to de-escalate long-standing inter-gang tensions. Even for suspects detained and incarcerated at the Kobe Foundation during the SOE, the League of Indigenous Unions (LIU) conducted regular engagement sessions, hosting between two and three mediation sessions for incarcerated individuals to address root causes of conflict between rival groups.

    When directly asked whether the surge in violent incidents over the most recent weekend serves as a full indictment of the SOE’s work, Bennett flatly rejected that framing. “Not at all,” he stated, arguing that the individuals driving the recent violence are deeply entrenched in criminal activity and extremely resistant to behavioral change, regardless of the intervention efforts deployed by authorities.

    “These individuals are very hard to crack and regardless of what intervention effort we may make attempt at, these individuals are very hard to deal with when it comes to changing their intent,” Bennett explained. “All we can do is to make every effort to have the hard police presence and try to achieve deterrence through policing efforts and make every effort to go into these individual communities, which we did to a large extent.”

    The SOE, which covered Belize City and its surrounding rural communities, remained in effect for a full 30 days before being lifted by authorities earlier this month. This report is adapted from a transcript of an evening television newscast originally published by the local outlet.

  • Quick visit to Haiti by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

    Quick visit to Haiti by António Guterres, UN Secretary-General

    In a high-profile, unannounced brief trip to Haiti on June 16, 2026, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres touched down in Port-au-Prince after flying in via UN helicopter from the neighboring Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo. Guterres was first greeted at Toussaint Louverture International Airport by Haiti’s Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who framed the surprise visit as a clear demonstration of the international community’s unwavering solidarity with the Haitian people amid the country’s ongoing political and security crisis.

    Following the airport welcome, Prime Minister Fils-Aimé hosted Guterres and his full diplomatic delegation at Haiti’s National Palace, where senior members of the Haitian cabinet joined the working discussions. The two sides centered their talks on four core priorities that sit at the heart of Haiti’s path out of crisis: the rapidly evolving on-the-ground security situation, national efforts to rebuild institutional stability, the strengthening of fragile state agencies, and the roadmap for restoring democratic governance through the holding of free, inclusive, and internationally credible general elections.

    After the closed-door discussions, Guterres publicly acknowledged the incremental but meaningful progress that Haitian national authorities have made in recent months to curb widespread gang violence that has displaced hundreds of thousands and paralyzed large swathes of the country. He specifically praised the bravery and relentless commitment of frontline Haitian security forces, including the Haitian National Police (PNH), the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H), and the specialized Gang Suppression Force (GSF) that has led recent anti-gang operations.

    The UN chief also used the visit to reaffirm the world body’s long-term commitment to Haiti, stating that the United Nations will continue to provide critical political, logistical, and humanitarian support to help the country consolidate recent security gains, deliver much-needed aid to vulnerable populations, and work toward a lasting, comprehensive resolution to the multi-layered crisis that has gripped the Caribbean nation for years.