Gang Chaos in Caribbean Tourism Hotspot: State of Emergency Takes Over Belize

The government of Belize this week declared a state of emergency after the Central American nation went through what local outlets described as one of the “bloodiest” weekends in recent history.

Local outlets detailed that the state of emergency was announced on Sunday by National Security and Energy Minister Michel Chebat, covering 19 areas across Southside and Northsize Belize City, as well as the villages of Ladyville, Cottontree, and Unitedville. The proclamation went into effect for a 30-day period starting on November 1, with the possibility of additional extensions granted by the National Assembly.

The decree was reportedly issued after seven different murders rocked Belize over the weekend in an already violent year for the nation. Of the total, four of the victims were gunned down at the Coastal Play Highway in what local police have reportedly attributed to an internal gang dispute. According to estimates from 7 News Belize, 16 murders were documented throughout October. The outlet pointed out that the Belize Crime Observatory, which the outlet states it uses to get its statistics, “has not been updated since March.”

Belizean Prime Minister Johnny Briceño, currently abroad in Antigua to participate in the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, addressed his nation on Tuesday night through a video statement. According to Greater Belize News, Briceño said that the ongoing developments at the country are “too important” to await for his return — noting that some of the planned initiatives to address the security emergency will have to go through the nation’s Cabinet for further discussion.

“But it is important for me to make a few things clear, one is that the issue of crime has to be something to be addressed by all of us, the government, political parties, private sector, public sector, NGOs and the families,” Briceño reportedly said. “For too long I have been saying that as families we have not been disciplined enough to keep them off the streets.”

The Belizean prime minister reportedly continued his address by affirming that “the police know who most of these gang leaders are and it is time that we go after them and get them off the streets to ensure that our citizens can live safer lives.”

Briceño emphasized that it is time for his administration to find alternatives for the young children and adults walking not he streets of Belize “without anything to do,” affirming that many of them are in the gangs.

“We need to get them out and put them into special programs where we can teach them discipline, a trade, and give them an apprentice, because I have always said, the best social program a government can have is to give you a job,” he said.

Per UPI, National Security Minister Chebat detailed that Belizean officials are planning to visit El Salvador to meet with officials from the administration of President Nayib Bukele, seeking to gain insight into El Salvador’s Successful crackdown on gang violence.

Diálogo Américas reported on Wednesday morning that Belizean authorities are also restricting its response to the violent gangs in a new unified command that, per the outlet, will expand the use of data to “anticipate crime rather than simply react to it.”

Belize Police Commissioner Richard Rosado reportedly explained that the initiative seeks to address the challenge of local law enforcement’s database interoperability. The official detailed that presently, the Belizean police, customs, migration, and transport agencies each have their own separate databases for criminal records, fingerprints, and crime management.

Belize — a small nation bordering Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Caribbean Sea — was listed as a major drug transit or major illicit drug producing country alongside others in a September proclamation signed by President Donald Trump.

The November 1 state of emergency decree, which remains active at press time, is the second of its nature this year signed by the Belizean government to tackle the growing threat of gang violence in the nation, and follows a similar decree signed in May. The Organization of American States (OAS) detailed in June that, collectively, Belize has spent over 300 days under states of emergency since December 2024, with separate decrees also signed in the preceding years.

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.