标签： Guyana

In a recent development out of Guyana that has sparked political tension, Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has issued a firm denial of allegations that unregistered drones were found operating suspiciously near the private residence of sitting President Irfaan Ali.

The allegations, which first circulated following a police intercept of two vehicles in the West Coast Demerara region, claimed that multiple unregistered drones were recovered from the vehicles near Ali’s Leonora home. Speaking publicly to Demerara Waves Online News one day after the incident, Mohamed pushed back systematically against every core claim in the narrative.

Mohamed acknowledged that a single drone was recovered from one vehicle he was associated with, but emphasized that the unmanned aerial device does not belong to him. He further clarified that he never attempted to operate the drone during the trip, and has already offered law enforcement full access to the drone’s flight log data to verify his statement.

Contrary to claims that his group was loitering near President Ali’s private street, Mohamed explained his travel that day was focused on a planned trip to the local seawall. His stated purpose for the visit was to conduct an on-the-ground inspection of recent public works projects, as part of an opposition effort to flag alleged corruption in government contracting. He said he only passed through a public roadway adjacent to the presidential residence, and never entered the street where Ali’s home is located.

Mohadeh also rejected any connection to the second vehicle intercepted by police at Crane, West Demerara. He told reporters that the driver of that vehicle only stopped briefly to exchange a polite greeting with his group before continuing on unrelated personal business. Despite the minor interaction, that driver was taken into police custody, along with the driver of Mohamed’s vehicle and a press photographer accompanying the opposition leader. As of Thursday, all three individuals remain in police detention.

Following questioning, Mohamed was released on self-bail Thursday, with authorities ordering him to report back to the station for further questioning on Saturday. The incident has already drawn attention to ongoing political friction between the opposition and ruling government in Guyana, as the opposition continues its scrutiny of public infrastructure spending and governance practices.

On Thursday, 3 September 2026, a senior leader of Guyana’s national law enforcement acknowledged multiple critical discrepancies in his official sworn statement connected to a high-profile U.S. extradition request for two prominent Guyanese businessmen. Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch, made these admissions while undergoing cross-examination from lead defence counsel Siand Dhurjon during ongoing court proceedings.

Over the course of questioning, Narine attributed multiple factual inaccuracies in his November 2025 written statement to simple typographical errors, and attempted to clarify gaps in the original document by adding previously unrecorded details. The first inconsistency centered on the date Narine claimed he received the official Authority To Proceed (ATP) for the extradition from Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond. His written statement incorrectly listed the date of receipt as 31 October 2025, a mistake Narine dismissed as a typo when pressed by Dhurjon.

The second major discrepancy involved Narine’s original claim that he personally collected the full U.S. extradition request from Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, alongside the ATP from the Home Affairs Minister. When confronted with this claim, Narine once again stated the line was the result of a typographical error. Further questioning revealed a more consequential omission: Narine confirmed to the court that he never witnessed either minister sign the extradition-related documents in person on the day he collected them. Instead, he acknowledged he actually picked up both the ATP and required Section 6 Certificate from a female administrative staff member at the offices of the Attorney General of Guyana – a detail completely missing from his two-page official statement, with no mention of the visit to the Attorney General’s Carmichael Street premises at all.

In his explanation, Narine clarified that while the two documents were officially issued by the respective ministries, and he recognized the ministers’ signatures on the paperwork, they were routed through the Attorney General’s chambers for collection. The 26-year veteran police officer also agreed during cross-examination that drafting accurate, transparent statements after an investigation is one of the core responsibilities of any policing officer, and that official police statements are intended to be fully transparent records of first-hand information.

The two businessmen at the center of the extradition request, Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed, are wanted by U.S. federal authorities to stand trial on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The charges are linked to their billion-dollar international trading operation, making this one of the most high-stakes extradition matters Guyana’s legal system has handled in recent years.

On Thursday, 3 September 2026, a developing security incident near Guyanese President Irfaan Ali’s private residence in Leonora, West Coast Demerara has triggered a public dispute between national authorities and the country’s opposition leadership.

According to an official statement released by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), several unregistered drones were allegedly found in the possession of four people traveling in two heavily tinted motor vehicles that were spotted acting suspiciously near the president’s property. The area surrounding Ali’s residence is designated as a restricted no-fly zone for unmanned aircraft, a restriction that also applies to other high-security sites across Guyana including State House, Eugene F’ Correia ‘Ogle’ Airport, and Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

The Guyana Police Force provided additional details of the interception, confirming that the two vehicles were first detected acting suspiciously near the presidential compound at approximately 6:20 PM. When noticed by on-duty Presidential Guards, the vehicles immediately fled the area, prompting an emergency distress call that alerted nearby patrol units. Law enforcement teams successfully intercepted both vehicles a short time later, bringing the occupants and the vehicles to the Leonora Police Station compound for questioning.

The incident took an unexpected political turn when opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed, who was among the individuals stopped by police, publicly disputed the authorities’ claims during a Facebook Live broadcast from the Leonora Police Station. Mohamed denied that any drones had been operated near the president’s residence, noting that the entire Leonora area is a designated no-fly zone that would prevent drones from operating anyway. “If you think we operated a drone here, pull one out right now — you’ll see this is a no-fly zone because the president lives here,” Mohamed stated during the broadcast. He added that he was not the owner of any drone involved in the incident, and has not yet responded to requests for additional comment on whether police have seized drones from him or any other person in the vehicles. Mohamed also detailed that his vehicle was forced off the road by two police cruisers while the group was traveling back to the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge.

Tensions escalated at the police station when a senior police officer ordered Mohamed to stop recording his interaction with officers on camera, claiming that video recording inside a police compound violates local law. Mohamed rejected this claim outright and continued his live broadcast.

In its formal statement, the GCAA emphasized that it views the alleged violation of restricted airspace rules with extreme seriousness. The regulator reminded the public that operating any unmanned aircraft or drone without proper authorization in restricted or prohibited airspace is illegal under Guyana’s 2018 Civil Aviation Act and associated aviation regulations, and can be prosecuted as a criminal offense.

“We will not tolerate the operation of drones in restricted airspace, near protected locations, or any activity that threatens aviation safety, national security, or public safety,” the GCAA statement read. The authority confirmed that it is working alongside national security and law enforcement agencies to pursue all appropriate legal action against anyone found responsible for unlawful drone operation. “Offenders will face the full force of the law, including criminal prosecution and all applicable penalties under current legislation,” the statement added.

On Tuesday, 1 September 2026, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali delivered a pointed warning to the country’s Indigenous Amerindian community during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Amerindian Heritage Month cultural celebration held in the Sophia Amerindian village. His remarks came just days after a high-profile opposition visit to communities affected by the recent MV Barima ferry disaster, which claimed more than 100 lives.

Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, who is currently wanted by United States authorities to stand trial on alleged financial crime charges, led a delegation of lawmakers from his main opposition bloc We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) to Port Kaituma and Mabaruma aboard Mohamed’s private fast boat. During the trip, the delegation met with survivors and bereaved family members of the ferry tragedy victims, donated essential relief supplies, offered counselling and legal support, and advised affected communities against signing government documents in exchange for cash compensation.

In his address, President Ali urged Amerindians to guard against outside actors who exploit moments of collective grief and vulnerability for their own political and personal gain. “Do not allow your grievances and aspirations to become somebody else’s escape route for their own legal troubles. Do not allow your concerns to be used as a ticket to avoid jail,” he told attendees.

The Guyanese leader emphasized that opportunistic actors often arrive abruptly during crises, offering sympathy and material gifts while framing themselves as advocates for marginalized communities, but their commitments rarely outlast the moment. “Sometimes the gravest danger is the person who comes smiling bearing gifts and claiming to be their friend. Gifts can be temporary, sympathy convenient, and political promise can disappear when a crisis has passed,” he added.

Ali also used the platform to highlight his administration’s long-term investments in Amerindian communities, noting improvements to infrastructure including roads, water access and electricity, expanded educational opportunities, youth development programs, and new economic initiatives designed to raise local living standards. He urged community members to look beyond immediate crisis-related outreach and assess which actors have delivered sustained progress for their villages.

“Look beyond the crisis and ask who still will stand with you when the fast boat has gone because in the final analysis you know who has stood with you for the long haul. You know who has invested in your communities and who has worked with your leaders,” he said.

Acknowledging the profound grief caused by the MV Barima ferry disaster, the President reaffirmed his government’s ongoing commitment to supporting affected families. “The PPP civic (People’s Progressive Party Civic) government stands with you today. The PPP civic government has stood with you through difficult times and as we build the Guyana of tomorrow the PPPC government will continue to stand by you,” he stated.

Indigenous Amerindian votes hold significant electoral sway in Guyana, alongside voting blocs along the country’s coastland, making the community a key factor in the outcome of all general and regional elections.

On 1 September 2026, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali publicly criticized the country’s three major telecommunications providers during the opening ceremony of the annual Amerindian Heritage Month cultural celebration, calling out their failure to expand reliable connectivity to the nation’s remote hinterland Indigenous communities. The head of state made clear that his administration is dissatisfied with the poor service performance from One Communications (formerly GT&T), Digicel, and E-Networks in these underserved areas, urging the firms to allocate more capital to bridge the country’s growing digital communication divide.

Ali further confirmed that Prime Minister Mark Phillips has already held preliminary discussions with the providers about prioritizing new telecommunications tower construction along the high-traffic Linden-Soesdyke highway, a key infrastructure corridor connecting coastal population centers to interior regions.

The opposition party We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) quickly pushed back against the government’s criticism, arguing that the administration itself bears responsibility for the persistent lack of connectivity in far-flung interior communities. WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus took to Facebook to question how private telecom providers can be expected to deploy and maintain infrastructure when the government has failed to deliver two core enabling resources: reliable electrical power and passable road networks.

Primus pointed out the absurdity of demanding broadband service without the basic infrastructure to support it, asking, “What exactly are they supposed to connect to? Internet without reliable electricity? Are people supposed to charge their phones with sunlight and power their routers with good intentions? Did the PPP Government put roads in place for internet infrastructure to be set up?”

The digital gap in Guyana’s interior is already stark: even in border communities like Imbotero, a northern Guyanese village located near the Venezuelan border, residents only have access to limited connectivity through satellite services such as Starlink that support basic messaging platforms like WhatsApp. None of the three major national mobile providers offer consistent, sustained cellular service to the village, leaving residents cut off from most digital services that coastal Guyanese take for granted.