Caricom calls on U.S. to halt exports of lethal weapons as they fuel crime and threaten Caribbean security

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) has urged the United States to take more concrete measures to address the flow of weapons from U.S. territory to Caribbean countries, as this directly impacts regional security and the fight against crime.

During the 45th meeting of Caricom Heads of State and Government, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who attended the meeting as a guest, received the request from Caricom leaders.

Roosevelt Skerrit, the Prime Minister of Dominica and President of Caricom highlighted the existing commitments between the regional bloc and the U.S., including addressing insecurity and violence in Haiti, climate change financing, regional security, and the fight against crime.

However, he emphasized the belief that the United States can and should do more to stem the flow of arms to the region.

U.S.-made weapons are widely used by criminal groups and gangs in Caribbean countries.

In the Bahamas, 98 percent of the illegal weapons seized in 2020 and submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for tracing were of U.S. origin.

Similar trends have been observed in other countries, such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, where the majority of seized firearms can be traced back to the United States.

The Caricom Heads of State and Government meeting took place in Trinidad and Tobago as part of the bloc’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Caricom was established on July 4, 1973, with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas by Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Since then, the group has expanded to include eleven additional member states and five associate members.

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