By: Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News |
A sharp public rift has emerged among Caribbean leaders over policy positions toward Venezuela and the United States, as escalating geopolitical tensions continue to reverberate across the region.
The dispute intensified on Sunday evening after Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, accused CARICOM of aligning itself with what she described as the “Maduro narco-government” in Caracas. In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, Persad-Bissessar rejected CARICOM’s posture on Venezuela, citing long-standing threats made by Caracas against Guyana and, more recently, Trinidad and Tobago.
According to the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Venezuela has for years threatened Guyana’s territorial integrity and, since June, has also suggested that Trinidad and Tobago forms part of Venezuelan territory. She argued that these threats did not deter CARICOM from supporting President Nicolás Maduro’s administration under what she called a “zone of peace” narrative.
Persad-Bissessar’s comments were issued in response to remarks from Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, who had criticised Trinidad and Tobago’s stance and accused the country of being an unreliable regional partner. The Trinidad and Tobago leader, however, doubled down, stating that her government would not support dictatorship, drug trafficking, or what she termed “zone of peace fakery,” which she claimed was designed to push U.S. military presence out of the Caribbean.
The diplomatic row unfolded against a backdrop of heightened military and economic pressure on Venezuela by the United States. On Sunday, U.S. officials confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard was actively pursuing a sanctioned oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela. The vessel is reportedly part of Venezuela’s so-called “dark fleet,” allegedly used to evade international sanctions.
U.S. officials indicated that the tanker was operating under a false flag and subject to a judicial seizure order. While the vessel had not yet been boarded, authorities noted that interdictions can take several forms, including close surveillance by sea or air. No specific location or vessel name was disclosed.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that any armed intervention in Venezuela would amount to a humanitarian catastrophe. His comments came days after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, a move widely seen as targeting the country’s primary source of revenue.
Lula, alongside Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, has urged restraint, cautioning that further escalation could destabilize the region. Both leaders have emphasized dialogue and diplomacy as tensions between Washington and Caracas continue to intensify.
As geopolitical fault lines deepen, the Caribbean now finds itself navigating a complex and increasingly polarized regional landscape, with implications for security, diplomacy, and regional unity.
