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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk, Thursday warned that the human rights situation in Haiti has reached a boiling point and that violence and human rights violations and abuses have escalated and intensified since his last visit to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

In an address to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti, Trk, said he welcomed the decision of the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) saying ‘this is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

‘International commitment and backing for this are urgent. Without them, the worst may be yet to come for Haiti and the broader region. More than 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 people injured in armed violence since 1 January 2022, when we began our monitoring on gang related violence,’ Trk told the Council.

Opposition Leader, Tracy Taegar-Panton, is questioning the sincerity behind the government’s decision to have an independent investigation into the alleged kidnapping of a Belizean and his surrender to Guatemalan authorities in August.

‘If it is that Cabinet is not now discussing how they are going to put in the right regulatory framework for this to occur, we know this is all just hogwash,’ she told reporters after the John Briceno government said earlier this week it had received a report into the alleged kidnapping.

Tracy Taegar-Panton

In addition, the government said that Police Commissioner, Dr Richard Rosado, who had been sent on 45 days’ leave ‘in the first instance’ would return ‘to active duty effective immediately’.

A government statement said that the report into the abduction of Ryan Joseph Budna had been received from the lead investigator, Assistant Commissioner of Police Suzette Anderson.

It said that based on the high level of public interest in this case, the report made two recommendations, which were accepted by the Cabinet.

‘The recommendation moving forward is that an Independent Investigation be conducted in relation to this incident,’ and ‘that none of the police officers assigned to this Inquiry be allowed to make any statement to the media or within the public domain, in order to safeguard the integrity of the said Inquiry in the event that the matter is addressed in a court of law’.

But Taegar-Panton is questioning what else did the initial report by the police contain and why is the Cabinet acting like judge and jury behind closed doors.

‘The report also says, according to the prime minister that, or recommends that we should restrict, we’re going to put a gag order on officers from speaking to the independent media. If these two recommendations alone made it into this preliminary summary, this preliminary report, what else is being hidden?

‘As I said, there are a lot more questions than answers. As Belizeans, we deserve the entire report, not selective snippets filtered through Cabinet. It seems that Cabinet is acting as its own kangaroo court, reviewing evidence in secret, deciding who is implicate and who may not be implicated and worse, seeking to protect its own,’ the Opposition Leader said.

The opposition contends that Prime Minister Briceno and his cabinet have ‘clearly overstepped their authority.

‘Our laws provide clear mechanisms for oversight. Any serious criminal matter, and make no mistake, this is a criminal investigation involving security forces, must go to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

‘The question is, why has this not been done? Why is the case file, the preliminary report, the surveillance videos, have not been handed over, and why is it that the cabinet insists on violating the very fundamental principle of our democracy that deals with the separation of powers, between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary?

‘And then, there’s this issue of selective disclosure. Unacceptable. The government has admitted that the inquiry report exists. According to PM Briceno, this preliminary report was discussed in his cabinet briefing yesterday. The report, as the prime minister has indicated, calls for a quote-unquote independent investigation. Now let me say, there’s no such thing as an independent investigation in this country and there is no such legislative framework to facilitate this notion of an independent investigation,’ the Opposition Leader added.

The government statement said that Cabinet had also agreed to refer the recommendations to the Attorney General for legal guidance on how best to give full effect to this recommendation.

Last month, Prime Minister John Briceño said he had instructed the country’s police commissioner to proceed on 45 days’ leave ‘in the first instance’ after he had earlier asked his Home Affairs Minister, Kareem Musa, to provide an update over the controversial ‘abduction’ of Budna.

On August 24, the Belize Police Department said it had officially launched an investigation into an incident involving Budna, which occurred on August 22.

‘The Policia National Civil (PNC) of Guatemala has confirmed that Mr Ryan Joseph Budna is in their custody pursuant to an arrest warrant; however, they have not disclosed the details surrounding his apprehension,’ the police said, adding that its own investigation was initiated based on an official report filed by a witness to the event.

‘The witness reported observing a confrontation involving several individuals, one of whom matched the description of Mr Budna, who was subsequently placed into a dark-coloured SUV bearing a Belize City license plate,’ the police added.

The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is promising to double public assistance, reduce the 16 per cent value added tax (VAT) on ‘everyday goods’ and residential electricity while also paying a bonus salary to public servants.

In addition, he NDP, is promising that within 60 days of being elected to office, it will reinstate public sector workers who were fired under the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

General elections are constitutionally due in February next year, but there are indications that Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, whose Unity Labour Party (ULP) is seeking an historic sixth consecutive term in office, may call the polls in November.

NDP leader Dr. Godwin Friday, told a news conference that the party is launching a series of proposals ‘spelling out not only what we are planning to do, but when we aim to do it.

‘That is, within 60 days of a New Democratic Party government, we will deliver real progress for everyone in this country,’ he said, adding that the NDP is attaching timelines to its commitments because it believes in delivery and accountability.

‘You heard me talk about accountability before, in the context of this present government,’ Friday said, adding that an NDP government will ensure mechanisms are in place for the people to hold it accountable.

‘This present government has failed on that.This election, the upcoming general elections, we’re going to have many grand promises from the ULP. They’ve done it in the past, but what we have noted about them is that most of these promises were not fulfilled,’ Friday told reporters, saying ‘the NDP will tell it like it is, setting out what we’re going to do and when we will do it’.

Friday said the election will be about what will be delivered to the people and who delivers it and that the vote is also about who has a plan for the development of the economy and who can be trusted to deliver that plan.

‘As we ramp up to the election, there will be a lot of noise and fanfare, so I want to take a moment now to make my personal pledge and to state, or I should say, restate, before the noise gets too loud, the NDP’s commitment to the voters.’

Friday, who has been representing the Northern Grenadines since 2001 and who became opposition leader in 2017, said voters are aware he does not make ‘ idle promises nor do I seek to take advantage of people by misleading them. I tell it like it is’.

He said the NDP will place the economy at the centre of everything it does ‘because we understand that we must have robust economic growth to deliver more and better-paid jobs as we have promised, to tackle the high cost of living, to create opportunities for young people, to invest in reliable health care and to rebuild and expand the roads and infrastructure in the country.’

‘These are things that are real and practical,’ Friday said.

‘So we are pledging to immediately make people’s lives better within 60 days of being elected,’ he said noting that an NDP government will ‘slash prices by cutting VAT on everyday goods and on residential electricity, your VINLEC bill;

‘Two, we will provide salary bonuses to all public servants. This is to help to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. And, three, double Poor Relief from EC$250 to EC$500 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents). Who can make ends meet and EC$250?’ Friday said.

The NDP had promised since 2020 to reduce the VAT from 16 to 13 per cent if elected to office and Friday said that the fourth pledge is to reinstate jobs and benefits lost under the ULP government’s ‘draconian vaccine mandate’.

Hundreds of public sector workers lost their jobs in November 2021 when the government passed a law mandating that they either take a COVID-19 jab or be deemed to have abandoned their jobs.

Friday said that the NDP intends to act on those four things within 60 days, adding, ‘this is not the whole five-year term of an NDP government.

‘So these are practical measures, immediate measures, that will bring relief and a greater sense of prosperity to our people. We have to tackle the high cost of living. Too many families are being increasingly crushed and crippled under the yoke of ever-increasing prices.’

The Opposition Leader said he does his own shopping and has seen how prices have increased.

‘So I experience it on a daily basis, and the government has done nothing to address it,’ he said, adding ‘I’m talking about staples here; ordinary folk have to buy these things.

‘I ain’t talking about cream cheese and fancy items,’ Friday said, adding, ‘and as you know, the cost of utilities has also gone up.

‘This is crushing many families throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines. And everywhere I go, it is the number one thing on people’s list of things they want to see government to help them with.’

He said the ULP government has failed completely to deal with the cost-of-living crisis.

‘We in the NDP have proposed ideas such as support payments in school and the cutting of VAT to help struggling families, but the government simply has not been listening, as they live in a bubble, they’re not experiencing what ordinary folk, ordinary people in this country are experiencing.’

He told reporters that an NDP government will establish a well-regulated citizenship by investment (CBI) programme, under which foreign investors are granted citizenship of the country in return for making a substantial investment in the socio-economic development of the island..

‘It will also generate tax-free and interest-free, loan-free revenue to the government to implement these programmes,’ Friday said, adding ‘importantly, as well, we will tackle waste and increase efficiency in government services and the delivery of government projects and return those savings to finance growth and development.’

The Guyana government Thursday said that it will be moving towards selling its own crude oil and that it would actively support the local private sector in building the technical and human resource capacity needed to effectively participate in that business.

‘I will be working with the local, private sector and international partners to ensure that we develop our capability and capacity in crude oil trading. We must be able to trade our crude oil from Guyana with the infrastructure, with the human President Irfaan Ali told the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) breakfast forum on ‘Energy Insights’.

‘The real wealth of Guyana will not only flow from beneath the sea, but from creativity, from the creativity of our people on land. And this is why the business community must ask itself: ‘will we be mere suppliers to an oil industry? Or will we be creators of industries of our own?’,’ he told members of the business community gathered at the event.

‘We have to get those who have already done it for other countries to work with us in transferring the knowledge.maybe to enter a partnership for the next three, four, five years until we get the experience to do it on our own. These are the bold decisions that we must embrace. These are the bold ideas that will take us from where we are to where we want to be,’ Ali told the private sector grouping.

Ali said crude oil trading would create ‘enormous opportunities’ for Guyana, and so in order to get into the business in the shortest possible time, an experienced crude oil trader would be contracted to do so and share its expertise.

Through a competitive bidding system, Guyana hires a crude marketing firm for its 50 per cent share of the profit oil from the Stabroek Block. British firms BB Energy Trading Limited and JE Energy have been contracted by the Guyana Government to market crude oil from the Liza Unity, Prosperity, and Destiny FPSOs.

Both companies had previously marketed Guyana’s oil in 2023-2024 and President Ali said Ali, these services can be provided by the local private sector.

ExxonMobil and its partners are producing approximately 650,000 barrels of oil per day from the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. With the recent successful startup of a fourth FPSO, the ONE GUYANA, the company anticipates growing production to more than 900,000 barrels of oil per day by the end of the year.

President Ali’s announcement followed a statement by ExxonMobil Guyana’s Production Manager, Huzefa Ali, who told the breakfast that the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, One Guyana, which is pumping oil from Yellowtail, would reach name-plate capacity of 250,000 barrels per day in another month. That vessel began production in August.

The ExxonMobil official said that efforts were underway to bring the eight project, Longtail, on board and bearing a significant natural gas deposit, ExxonMobil said Longtail could potentially supply that hydrocarbon for a second power plant, an alumina plant, a fertiliser plant and a data center in Berbice.

‘I will highlight project number eight, which we expect to be Longtail is also well progressed in terms of regulatory reviews and discussions for further discussion,’ Ali said, adding that ExxonMobil was advancing plans to determine the actual amount of gas that is deposited in Longtail.

‘We are well on our way to appraise those resources and then also take that to the next step, which is consider what is the most valuable development concept that brings the highest value for the people of Guyana, for the Government of Guyana, and for the other stakeholders,’ he said.

Meanwhile, President Ali has underscored the importance of establishing a modern stock exchange as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s financial sector.

‘The creation of a modern stock exchange and options for capital mobilisation. Many people are speaking about diaspora bonds and all of this. All of these options will be examined,’ he said, adding that the government is also exploring the establishment of a junior stock exchange, which is a type of stock market specifically designed for smaller or emerging companies to raise capital, often under less stringent regulatory requirements than those of a main or senior stock exchange.

Ali said that the private sector must play a crucial role in ensuring that wealth, opportunity and commerce flow into the economy and that the government will create a favourable environment by adopting effective policy frameworks, infrastructure, and financial sector modernisation.

‘Someone asked me recently if Guyanese businesses are ready for the oil economy. I told them, well, we are ready in spirit. But readiness is more than dreams. It is about skills, partnerships, and wealth creation. Otherwise, the opportunities will come and pass us by. We must prepare, not just dream,’ Ali said, adding that by 2030, Guyana should have a diversified economy, powered by modern infrastructure, technology, knowledge, and innovation, not just oil.

Oil is temporary. But sustainability is forever. You must use oil to build for the future, not deny the future to spend oil,’ he said

Hurricane Imelda is moving quickly away from Bermuda on Thursday and is expected to become extra tropical later during the day, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Thursday.

It said that the storm, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (mph) was about 170 miles east north east of the British Overseas Territory and that it is moving towards the the east-northeast near 30 mph.

The Meteorological Service of Bermuda has changed the Hurricane Warning for Bermuda to a Tropical Storm Warning, meaning that tropical storm conditions are expected during the next few hours.

Bermudian authorities are reporting that the worst of Hurricane Imelda has passed, but hurricane-force winds and gusts abound and residents are advised to stay indoors until the Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) has given the green light.

The NHC said that Hurricane Imelda is expected to continue on a northeastward motion on Friday and Saturday and that ‘the core of Imelda will move farther away from Bermuda during the next several hours.

‘Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph with higher gusts. Imelda is expected to become an extratropical low later today, with gradual weakening forecast for the next several days.’

It said that swells generated by Imelda are affecting the Bahamas, Bermuda, and much of the U.S. East Coast.

‘Swells from Imelda will spread toward the Greater Antilles and northern Leeward Islands on Friday and continue through the weekend. These swells are likely to cause ife-threatening surf and rip current conditions,’ the NHC warned.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk, Thursday warned that the human rights situation in Haiti has reached a boiling point and that violence and human rights violations and abuses have escalated and intensified since his last visit to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

In an address to the Human Rights Council on the situation in Haiti, Trk, said he welcomed the decision of the United Nations Security Council to strengthen the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) saying ‘this is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Trk

‘International commitment and backing for this are urgent. Without them, the worst may be yet to come for Haiti and the broader region. More than 16,000 people have been killed and some 7,000 people injured in armed violence since 1 January 2022, when we began our monitoring on gang related violence,’ Trk told the Council.

He said, currently, gangs are spreading fear beyond the capital, Port-au-Prince, into nearby regions, including in the Lower Artibonite and in the Centre department and that this violence is fertile ground for further cross-border arms, drugs, and human trafficking, which threaten to destabilize the wider sub-region.

He said an estimated 270,000 to 500,000 firearms are circulating illegally in Haiti, with most weapons in the hands of gangs.

‘Gangs are killing and kidnapping people, extorting them at illegal checkpoints, hijacking trucks transporting food and other supplies, and burning and destroying homes, hospitals, schools, and public buildings.

‘They are committing widespread sexual violence to assert dominance and territorial influence, and displace people. The gangs kidnap women and girls, and subject them to extreme brutality, including killing and sexual exploitation,’ Trk added.

The UN human rights Commissioner said that his office is working with the authorities to step up investigations and prosecutions, including through Specialized Judicial Units and is urging the Council’s ‘strong support for programmes to protect survivors of sexual violence.

‘The humanitarian toll is staggering. Half of Haiti’s population – six million people, including 3.3 million children – need humanitarian aid. Some 1.3 million people, half of them children, have fled their homes. Haiti is now among the five global food insecurity hotspots of highest concern.’

Trk said he remains deeply worried about the fate of children in Haiti, noting that UNICEF estimates that one in seven children is out of school, and almost one million more are at risk of dropping out.

‘More children are being subjected to trafficking, exploitation and forced recruitment by the gangs. They are used as couriers, lookouts, or weapons carriers, and are sometimes coerced into combat roles against rival gangs, security forces and so-called self-defense groups.

‘We can only imagine the long-term impact, for the children of Haiti, and for society as a whole. In a glimmer of hope, in July, the authorities opened the first Transit and Orientation Centre in Port-au-Prince, to provide temporary shelter and reintegration support for children formerly associated with armed gangs. We need more such measures.’

Trk said that he is also concerned that State law enforcement have used ‘unnecessary and disproportionate lethal force’ in their operations against the gangs.

‘For example, operations by law enforcement account for more than half of killings and injuries so far this year – a steep increase compared to 2024. Almost one third of people killed or injured were hit by stray bullets,’ Trk sid, noting that specialized police units have summarily executed 174 people this year, for alleged affiliation with gangs.

He said that since March, the government has stepped up its use of explosive drones in its anti-gang operations in Port-au-Prince.

‘As of mid-September, drone strikes have killed at least 559 people, including 11 children. Most of these drone strikes are likely unlawful under international human rights law,’ Trk said, adding that ‘the use of force by police and security personnel needs to respect the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality, non-discrimination, precaution, and accountability.

‘I urge the authorities to investigate all allegations of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, and ensure perpetrators, regardless of affiliation, are brought to justice. It is deeply worrying that so-called self-defence groups and spontaneous crowds of people have killed more than 500 alleged gang members this year – with the alleged support of police officers.’

Trk said that a spiral of violence between gang members, the population, and the security forces will only add to people’s feelings of insecurity.

‘Efforts to restore security need to be rooted in human rights and go hand in hand with rebuilding the rule of law and justice in the country.The authorities, with the support of the international community, urgently need to root out impunity and corruption, including within state institutions.

‘It is also crucial to take meaningful steps to bring perpetrators to account for the grave human rights violations and abuses that have been committed,’ Trk added.

He said in addition, work needs to begin to address the country’s pervasive inequalities and poverty.

‘The people of Haiti need the unwavering attention and support of the international community. All States need to implement the Security Council’s arms embargo in full, to prevent the illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition into Haiti. Enforcement at borders is absolutely crucial.

‘I urge States to support the Gang Suppression Force with sufficient funding and personnel. It is vital to ensure that robust human rights safeguards underpin its work. My Office is ready to continue providing advice on the conduct of operations in line with international human rights law. We can – and must – turn this situation around for the people of Haiti,’ Trk said.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned Thursday that rising violence by gangs in Haiti’s capital is restricting humanitarian access and pushing families deeper into hunger as extreme funding shortfalls force WFP to slash rations and suspend programmes.

WFP said that more farmers are cut off from markets, further straining already fragile food systems and pushing food prices even higher.

Funding shortfalls have also forced WFP to suspend hot meals for newly displaced families and to slash food rations in half. And for the first time, the lack of resources has prevented WFP from prepositioning food stocks to respond to a natural disaster during the Atlantic hurricane season.

Despite restricted access and extreme insecurity, WFP said it has reached more than two million people with assistance since January.

Efforts to support longer term food security and reduce dependence on aid are also continuing as WFP works with the government to provide school meals for 600,000 Haitian students. Alongside this, WFP has also been able to launch targeted community infrastructure projects, including in areas controlled by gangs, to restore irrigation systems and boost local food production.’

UN Deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said Haiti is the only country in the Americas, and one of only five countries globally, with people facing catastrophic (IPC5) levels of hunger, which is equivalent to famine-like conditions. It is also one of the world’s most severe food crises with 5.7 million people facing acute food insecurity.

He said the WFP requires US$139 million for the next 12 months to reach the country’s most vulnerable families.