Former CARICOM Leaders Urge Halt to Military Escalation in Caribbean

Ten former heads of government from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have issued a stark warning against the growing militarization of the Caribbean, urging regional and global powers to de-escalate actions that risk turning the region into a theatre of external conflict.

In a joint statement released Thursday, ex-leaders—including Jamaica’s P.J. Patterson and Bruce Golding, Antigua & Barbuda’s Baldwin Spencer, and Guyana’s Donald Ramotar – condemned the recent deployment of U.S. nuclear-capable vessels and stealth aircraft under the guise of anti-narcotics operations. They stressed that such moves undermine the Caribbean’s long-standing designation as a “zone of peace,” a principle enshrined over 50 years ago and central to the region’s sovereignty and diplomatic identity.

“The ‘zone of peace’ is not symbolic – it is foundational to our security architecture and our relations with the hemisphere and the world,” the statement read. “International law, not military might, must guide responses to complex challenges.”

The appeal follows a series of U.S. strikes beginning September 2, targeting vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific. According to Agence France-Presse, at least 37 people have been killed. Yet Washington has provided no public evidence confirming the targeted boats were engaged in illicit activity.

Legal scholars and regional analysts have raised concerns over the use of lethal force in international waters without interception or due process – actions that may contravene international maritime law.

As geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela intensify, the former leaders’ intervention underscores a broader Caribbean anxiety: that great-power rivalries could destabilise a region historically committed to diplomacy over deterrence.