CARICOM leaders condemn shooting of Guyanese soldiers

Last Updated on Friday, 21 February 2025, 23:39 by Writer

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders ended their 48th summit in Barbados on Friday, condemning last Monday’s shooting of six Guyanese soldiers in their boat by several men in a vessel on the Venezuela side of the bordering Cuyuni River.

CARICOM Chairman, Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley did not mention the issue in her opening remarks but said that a statement would be issued condemning the incident. “A statement will go out condemning the shootings as well as continuing to express solidarity with Guyana,” she said.

Earlier, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, a close ally of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, said that he was unaware of the details of the incident.

President Irfaan Ali and Foreign Minister Hugh Todd briefed their colleagues at the summit and on its sidelines about the incident.

Venezuela has not condemned the incident, but has instead accused Guyanese soldiers of shooting Venezuelans in the  Essequibo Region which it claims is its territory.

The soldiers were air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital earlier this week and they are said to be in high spirits and doing well.

At the time of the incident, they had been moving supplies from their main base at Eteringbang to the Makapa outpost when they came under fire and returned fire, injuring a number of the attackers.