CARICOM leaders, except Trinidad, speak out on U.S. military build-up in Caribbean

Last Updated on Saturday, 18 October 2025, 18:12 by Denis Chabrol

Even as the United States (U.S.) embassy in Trinidad and Tobago told people they are xnot to visit any U.S. government facilities through the weekend, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders on Saturday said the drug-fight must be in keeping with international law.

“They underscored that efforts to overcome these challenges should be through ongoing international cooperation and within international law,” the CARICOM leaders said in a statement about their meeting held virtually on Thursday.

CARICOM Heads of Government reiterated their continued commitment to fighting narcotrafficking and the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons which adversely affect the Region.

The statement released by the Guyana-based CARICOM headquarters, said regional leaders discussed the increased security build-up in the Caribbean and the potential impacts on Member States.

They said Trinidad and Tobago “reserved its position” while other leaders reaffirmed the principle of maintaining the Caribbean Region as a zone of peace and the importance of dialogue and engagement towards the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict.

Locally, President Irfaan Ali said Guyana supports both the region as a zone of peace and the fight against transnational crimes including narco-trafficking.

“Guyana supports the aspiration of keeping Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace, but equally also, we support every action and embrace every partnership to cripple transnational crime, the illicit drug trade and any form of destabilisation that threatens the security of Guyana and this region,” he said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has openly backed the U.S. military operations in the southern Caribbean in what she says is a fight against narco-terrorists. Several boats have been destroyed and their occupants killed in U.S. military strikes in international waters in the Caribbean.

CARICOM said it remains willing to assist towards that objective.

The U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago said everyone must avoid all U.S. government facilities in Trinidad and Tobago through to Monday when the Hindu festival of lights, Deepavali, would be celebrated. “Due to a heightened state of alert, please avoid and refrain from visiting all U.S. Government facilities in Trinidad and Tobago through the holiday weekend,” the mission said.