Belize has declared a state of emergency after a wave of gang violence left seven dead in what local media called one of the country’s most violent weekends in recent memory. The decree, announced by National Security Minister Michel Chebat, covers 19 high-risk areas in Belize City and surrounding villages, effective November 1 for at least 30 days.
Weekend Bloodshed Triggers Crackdown
Four of the weekend’s victims were gunned down in a single incident along the Coastal Play Highway, which police attribute to an internal gang dispute. According to 7 News Belize, October saw 16 murders nationwide, though official crime statistics haven’t been updated since March.
PM Briceño Calls for National Unity
Prime Minister Johnny Briceño, currently attending the Commonwealth summit in Antigua, addressed the crisis via video, stating ‘the police know who most of these gang leaders are.’ He emphasized the need for job programs to steer youth away from gangs, calling employment ‘the best social program a government can have.’
El Salvador’s Playbook
Belizean officials plan to visit El Salvador to study President Nayib Bukele’s controversial but effective anti-gang strategies. Meanwhile, authorities are creating a unified crime-fighting command center to improve data sharing between police, customs, and immigration agencies.
This marks Belize’s second state of emergency this year targeting gang violence, with the OAS reporting the country has spent over 300 days under such decrees since 2024. The small Central American nation, popular with tourists for its Caribbean beaches and Mayan ruins, remains a key transit point in the international drug trade.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2026/11/04/gang-chaos-in-caribbean-tourism-hotspot-state-of-emergency-takes-over-belize/