Belize took centre stage at a high-level CARICOM consultation today, warning of the economic fallout from the United States’ newly announced 10% reciprocal tariff under its “America First” trade policy.
At the regional meeting, Director General of Foreign Trade Andy Sutherland presented Belize’s case, stating that over US$45 million in national exports, especially sugar, marine products, and pepper sauces, are at immediate risk. He stressed the potential impact on livelihoods, calling for urgent and united CARICOM action.
Belize proposed the creation of a Regional Emergency Competitiveness Fund, to be managed through the Caribbean Development Bank and national development banks. The fund would provide low-cost credit to help MSMEs and vulnerable sectors offset rising costs and navigate shifting trade dynamics.
The Government has also instructed its embassy in Washington to engage U.S. officials directly, seeking clarity, advocating for exemptions, and reaffirming Belize’s commitment to rules-based trade under the Caribbean Basin Initiative.
Belize underscored the need to protect the CARICOM Common External Tariff, speed up the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, and pursue new markets to build long-term resilience.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on all “reciprocal” tariffs on over 70 countries, except those imposed on China.
Three teenagers have been detained in connection with a video that surfaced showing a defenceless horse being viciously chopped in the head on Pitter Street in Belize City. The group of teenagers aged 19, 17, and 16, are also accused of stealing 15 horses from a farm near Ladyville, owned by local tour operator Joshua Trapp.
The viral video shows a group of young men attacking one of the horses with a machete. Trapp stated that it was one of his animals and said the assault happened not far from his property.
The act shown in the viral video left many Belizeans outraged.
Police Commissioner Chester Williams condemned the attack as “inhumane and senseless,” and said the Belize Police Department is taking the matter seriously.
Williams added, “We will do everything in our power to ensure those responsible face justice.”
Several concerned groups in San Pedro are rallying against the Cayo Rosario project and have devised a plan to halt its progress. At a public meeting on Tuesday night, the groups, united under the San Pedro Citizens for Sustainable Development, announced their intention to lawyer up and prevent Cayo Rosario from disrupting the seabed around the island. While the six-acre island is private property, the surrounding sea is part of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. The citizens are firm that, regardless of any approval the developer has from the Department of Environment, they do not want the project to impact on the sea. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with more on what the islanders had to say about Cayo Rosario.
Concerned Citizen #1
“Our home is your home but we have rules if you come here. You cannot destroy it.”
Concerned Citizen #2
“No structure over the water. They started at a hundred and ten approved, they went down to forty, my brother, they’re not going to get even one.”
Concerned Citizen #3
“Don’t destroy the islands; don’t destroy for development. Build your development around what exists.”
Wally Nunez
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“This is not about colours and this is not about pointing fingers to who approved or who didn’t approve. We need to fight so that in the future these things don’t happen but we need to fight so that this one doesn’t happen.”
Concerned Citizen #4
“We need to fight; we need to go to Belmopan and do a demonstration. Don’t be afraid.”
Concerned Citizen #5
“Yes, I’m emotional because I love that Belize is ours and I’m going to fight teeth, hands and feet to show that this is what we want.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
Tuesday night at the San Pedro Lion’s Den was heated, with tempers flaring and emotions running high. The crowd gathered to voice their strong objections to the Cayo Rosario development. According to a revised Environmental Compliance Plan signed by the Department of the Environment and the developer in 2020, the project can move forward if it meets the environmental requirements. Just last week, government agencies reviewed the project again and gave it the green light. Right now, Cayo Rosario has an unfinished cement structure standing over the sea, connected to the island by a pier. This is the model for the other thirty-nine structures they plan to build, which means driving hundreds of piles into the seabed to support the buildings and piers. San Pedro Mayor Wally Nunez, who is also a licensed tour operator, attended the meeting. He understands the residents’ concerns and says he’s standing with them in this cause.
Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro
“Even though Cayo Rosario doesn’t fall under the Town Council’s jurisdiction, and we have expanded our municipal boundaries, and it still doesn’t include Cayo Rosario, even though it’s that part of our jurisdiction, it directly affects our people. It’s the livelihood of our fishermen, of our tour guides that visit these islands, and so we have to be concerned. So, I came here today not only as a mayor, but also as a tour guide; also as a resident to listen out and to be informed more than anything else about what is the situation with Cayo Rosario. I’m here to stand with my people and we will fight the fight if that’s the case.”
We tried to get a comment from Belize Rural South Area Representative and Blue Economy Minister, Andre Perez, but had no luck. So, we asked Mayor Nunez about their discussions on the topic to find out where the minister stands.
Wally Nunez
“I have reached out to him and I know that himself as well as Hol Chan were trying to fight this not to happen. However, there are permits already issued and if that is the case, then there are some legalities when it comes to these things. So, we’re just looking at different options and partnering with the San Pedro Citizens for Sustainable Development.”
Oceana, represented by Alyssa Noble, as well as the World Wildlife Fund, represented by Nadia Bood, were on hand to lend their support to the fight against the project.
Nadia Bood
Nadia Bood, Senior Program Officer, W.W.F.
“Only through your voices can there be changes. When communities are effectively engaged, change will happen. So I commend you guys and we will be there to support you along the way.”
Alyssa Noble
Alyssa Noble, Communications Director, Oceana
“There are Belizeans everywhere who are fighting this fight, and we’re going to continue fighting this fight, if we don’t take a stand now. So we’re here to show support, we’re here to support; we’re here to lend experience, expertise, because this is not new.”
The Hol Chan Marine Reserve, established in 1987, aims to protect marine areas where endangered species thrive. Interestingly, no one from Hol Chan attended the meeting, but former Director Miguel Alamilla, a trained marine biologist, is fully backing the groups opposing the project. He mentioned that during his time leading the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, he fought hard to keep the sea around Cayo Rosario untouched.
Miguel Alamilla
Miguel Alamilla, Marine Biologist
“The whole idea was to keep it pristine, natural for the fishermen to maintain their livelihoods for maybe perpetuity. Bonefish feed on those sandy flats and those researchers – that’s why I question the validity of that research because if you go there, you see white sand, but within that sand there’s a lot of organisms and crustaceans living within that eco-system and that’s where the bonefish go and feed.”
When the developers of Cayo Rosario purchased the six-acre island in 2008, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve did not include the sea around the island. The reserve was expanded in 2015 and that was when the sea around the island became a part of the reserve. Despite everything, the groups firmly believe that private property doesn’t extend to the surrounding sea and that no development should interfere with it. The public meeting was led by the San Pedro Citizens for Sustainable Development. The organization has over a dozen group members comprising tour operators, environmentalists and concerned residents. The San Pedro Tour Operators Association, chaired by Roberto Canul, is one of its members.
Roberto Canul
Roberto Canul, Chairman, San Pedro Tour Operators Association
“If they destroy those flats, you will never see the marine life, the fishes, the bonefish, the tarpon, the permits that visit those areas. You will never see that again. We just saw a video the other day of people being chased from the area because of the development that is happening there, and we don’t stand for those type of things.”
The Environmental Compliance Plan states in Point One that clearance is given to Cayo Rosario Development Limited for the construction of, among other things, overwater bungalows, an arrival dock, an outdoor pool, an island villa, island cottages, a beach club and an education center. Dr. Abdiel Perez, another marine biologist, explained that the activities in the sea have already had a negative impact on the seabed.
Abdiel Perez
Dr. Abdiel Perez, Marine Biologist
“Just that area in the south, where they are already putting a lot of the materialhosted at least eight hundred to a thousand bonefish easily at any time. Because of all of the development, there’s nothing there now. All the dredging, all the noise, all the material that they’re dumping is changing the entire bottom.”
The concerned groups are planning to hire a legal expert to help them navigate the situation. They’re also setting up a GoFundMe account to cover their expenses. In the coming weeks, they plan to create videos showing the damage that’s already occurred and seek international support to halt the project’s progress. Marion Ali for News Five.
The concerned groups had also rejected the Blackadore Development Project several years ago, which had a similar plan to build overwater structures. That project did not materialize as a result. News Five has tried to get a comment from the representatives of the Cayo Rosario project, but our efforts have been futile.
Today, a family is heartbroken after twenty-four-year-old Luis Marin was tragically shot and killed in his home in Majestic Alley. According to the police, around ten p.m., Marin was hanging out with a family member in his apartment when a man approached and opened fire, fatally wounding Marin. The police arrived at the scene around a few minutes later and found Marin’s lifeless body. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but sadly, he was pronounced dead on arrival. There are whispers that this murder might be connected to the weekend shooting of Jamal Hyde in Belmopan, which has already led to several arrests. However, the police have yet to confirm the speculation.
A government employee is in hot water, accused of stealing forty-three Chromebooks from the Government Bookstore on Saint Joseph Street back in February. A police investigation led to the discovery of nine of the devices all the way in Orange Walk. This morning, Ezbert Felix Ramclam Junior, also known as ‘Suga,’ a warehouse manager for the G.O.B., was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Coney Drive on a single charge of theft. The allegations state that between February eighteenth and February twenty-eighth, 2025, in Belize City, Ramclam dishonestly appropriated forty-three laptops valued at thirty-three thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two dollars, belonging to the Government of Belize. Represented by attorney Ronnell Gonzalez, Ramclam Junior pleaded not guilty to the charge. With no objection to bail, the magistrate granted it at three thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount, or two sureties of one thousand, five hundred dollars each, which he met. Ramclam Junior is due back in court on June fourth, 2025. On Saturday, March twenty-ninth, 2025, Ingrid Acosta, a project coordinator at the Project Execution Unit in the Ministry of Education in Belmopan, reported to the Crimes Investigation Branch that unauthorized persons had removed forty-three Chromebooks from a storage facility at the Government Bookstore compound in Belize City between February nineteenth and February twenty-eighth, 2025. The C.I.B. investigated and on Wednesday, April second, police recovered three of the devices in San Lorenzo Housing Site in Orange Walk Town. Further investigation led to the discovery of five more Lenovo Chromebooks, confirmed to have been stolen from the Government Bookstore’s warehouse. The laptops were taken to Belize City and handed over to the police. As part of the investigation, police recorded several statements from individuals in Belize City and Orange Walk. One report from a fifty-nine-year-old entrepreneur in Orange Walk stated that a man known as ‘Suga,’ who works at the Government Bookstore, sold him nine Chromebooks in February 2025. Consequently, Ramclam was detained on Monday, April seventh, 2025, and charged with theft on Tuesday, April eighth, 2025.
Belize City police arrested and charged 20-year-old Duane Wite with the murder of Coby Ledlon. The incident occurred on Monday, March 31, when Ledlon was shot around 10:30 a.m. on Iguana Street Extension. Witnesses reported that Ledlon was standing in front of a gate when he was approached by an assailant who shot him twice, including a shot to the head. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero indicated that the shooting may have been linked to an internal feud within the area. Ledlon’s family expressed shock over his death, describing him as not being a troublemaker.
Belize is actively participating in this year’s Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC 2025), with Minister of National Defence and Border Security Oscar Mira currently in Panama representing the country.
The high-level forum runs from April 8 to 10 and brings together defence and security leaders from across Central America and the United States.
CENTSEC has become a key platform for advancing regional cooperation and addressing mutual security concerns. The 2025 conference, co-hosted by the Republic of Panama and the United States, is focused on enhancing joint defence operations and strengthening cybersecurity efforts across the region.
The annual gathering encourages open dialogue among partner nations, allowing for the exchange of best practices and the development of coordinated strategies aimed at promoting peace, stability, and resilience.
President of the Public Service Union, Dean Flowers, criticised the government’s budget preparation process. On Tuesday, the union issued a statement questioning the fiscal management and potential corruption within the Sports Council. The union demanded an independent audit to verify budget figures and investigate corruption allegations.
Minister of State, Devin Daly, stated on Tuesday that $7.5 million has been allocated between youth and sports, with $7 million going towards staff salaries, leaving just $500,000 for actual programming and facility maintenance.
Flowers told News 5, “I think that the public service union has consistently stated that there is little seriousness given to the preparation of these budgets.” Flowers added that, despite the shift to performance-based budgeting, the approach has not changed significantly. “If you look at all the budgets of the last twenty or ten years, not much has changed in terms of the programme budgeting,” he added.
Flowers also pointed out the inefficiency in the youth and sports budget, calling it “just numbers thrown out there” without proper analysis or justification for the expenditures.
He linked the issue to the failure of the previous auditor general to conduct thorough audits of ministries. He said, “I am hoping that with the appointment of a new auditor general, that for once, all government ministries will be audited to ensure that whatever allocation is being made for them is being spent on what is aimed for.”
Police have apprehended and charged an 18-year-old taxi driver with the offense of “Rape of a Child.” The arrest follows a report made on Sunday, April 6, around 10:00 p.m., when a woman brought her underage daughter to the Caye Caulker Police Station.
She stated that earlier that day, around 5:00 p.m., her daughter had been with a male individual who gave her a drink and subsequently took her to a beachside location, where he engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with her.
A medical examination performed by a medical officer confirmed that the minor had been sexually assaulted.
A new fully equipped patrol vehicle was handed over to the Belize Police Department today. The keys to the vehicle were presented by the Chief Operations Officer of Innovative Development (INNODEP), Joseph Lee.
INNODEP is a renowned international firm that specialises in expandable security solutions.
Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, received the keys of one of two vehicles designated for the “rapid response in coordination with the advanced camera system and the 911 emergency response framework being implemented.”
The vehicle is part of the BZ$60 million Belize Integral Security Programme funded by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).
This project includes the installation of a state-of-the-art camera system and emergency response framework in Belize City. It is expected to be completed by July 2025, and it will deploy AI-powered cameras to improve crime prevention and strengthen emergency responses across the city.
