Belize Calls for Caribbean to Remain “Zone of Peace” Amid U.S. Strikes

CARICOM nations are expressing concern over recent U.S. military strikes on vessels in Caribbean waters, which have killed dozens of people accused of drug trafficking.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca said Belize is “very concerned about these latest actions and the sort of military buildup in the Caribbean Sea.” He added that the killings amounted to “extrajudicial” acts and that Belize supports CARICOM’s joint statement calling for peace in the region.

“We want to ensure that the Caribbean remains a zone of peace. That is absolutely critically important to us as a country and to our CARICOM brothers and sisters,” Fonseca said.

“If you suspect that people are trafficking drugs or are engaged in criminal activity, there’s a process to deal with those individuals so that there are no unilateral decisions to kill people,” he added.

Fonseca said that while Belize recognises the serious problem of drug and human trafficking, cooperation must respect “international law and international conventions.”

Meanwhile, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has confirmed that a United States Navy warship, the USS Gravely, will dock in the capital for a 5-day visit from October 26 to 30. The guided-missile destroyer carries around 300 sailors and will conduct joint training exercises with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.

The deployment comes at a time of heightened US security activity in the Caribbean.