Source: Jamaica Gleaner
Former Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has issued a stark warning regarding recent United States drone attacks on vessels in Caribbean waters, calling the strikes a “fundamentally dangerous and horrible erosion” of the region’s commitment to collective sovereignty. His comments come as the US military confirms at least five such strikes since early September, actions the former Jamaican leader asserts are tearing at the foundational idea of the Caribbean as a zone of peace.
The US administration, led by president Donald Trump, claims these military strikes targeted vessels suspected of transporting illegal drugs to the US. According to the US government’s account, these attacks have resulted in the deaths of 27 people, with the most recent incident on October 14 killing six.
Patterson, who served as Jamaica’s prime minister from 1992 to 2006, expressed deep concern, telling The Gleaner the situation is both “frightening” and dangerous.
He rooted his argument in the region’s history, recalling a key moment in Caribbean integration: “At our very first meeting in 1972, in Chaguaramas… the four independent countries… declared the Caribbean to be a zone of peace,” Patterson stated. “What we are witnessing is a fundamentally dangerous and horrible erosion of that firm commitment to assert our collective sovereignty in the area.”
Patterson stressed that the issue is so grave it “compels the heads of governments in the Caribbean, as a matter of the greatest urgency, to be in consultations and seek to take a common position.”
Patterson chose not to speculate on why CARICOM has so far remained silent, emphasising that the issue demands a unified, non-partisan approach. He pointed to established protocol for addressing such matters, referencing the negotiation of the 1997 Shiprider Agreement as a precedent for collective action.
The Shiprider Agreement, brought into force in Jamaica by the Maritime Drug Trafficking (Suppression) Act, 1998, allows US vessels to pursue and search vessels suspected of drug trafficking within Jamaican waters and Jamaican vessels in international waters.
The ongoing drone attacks have prompted fear among regional fisherfolk and maritime users, who worry they could become “collateral damage.” Patterson insists that the continued strikes pose a “clear and present danger to all maritime users,” violating international law, and affecting everything from fishing to cruising.
“The existing situation demands that CARICOM heads cannot remain silent,” he concluded, urging the regional body to act immediately to reaffirm the Caribbean’s inviolable status as a zone of peace.
While the US government has used grainy footage and claims of drug trafficking to justify the strikes — alleging one destroyed vessel was operated by the Tren d Aragua Cartel and carrying drugs from Venezuela — it has not provided substantive evidence or detailed information about the people or cargo on board. In one instance, the Colombian president publicly disputed a US claim, stating a boat hit was Colombian, not Venezuelan, with Colombian citizens inside.
As of this story’s publication, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, has not responded to emailed questions on the matter.
Surely this is an Act of War and should be condemned by every country in the world. If the Orange maniac is allowed to get away with such thuggery then no vessels are safe from his armed criminals.