By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Government of Belize has officially declared a State of Public Emergency covering 19 designated areas of Belize City, sections of Ladyville and the Cayo District villages of Cotton Tree and Unitedville following an alarming escalation in gang-related murders and shootings.
Minister of National Security, Energy and Ports Michel Chebat announced the emergency measures during a special police press briefing on Sunday, November 1.
The declaration was issued by Governor-General Dame Froyla Tzalam through Statutory Instrument No. 130 of 2026, signed and gazetted on October 31 and taking effect on November 1.
According to the official proclamation, the emergency covers 19 specifically defined areas on the Southside and Northside of Belize City.
In the Belize District, the designated Ladyville area is described by boundaries extending around Lord’s Bank, Los Lagos, Lake Gardens and Vista del Mar.
In the Cayo District, the proclamation specifically includes Cotton Tree and Unitedville villages. Belmopan is not included.
The proclamation provides for an initial duration not exceeding one month, unless extended by resolution of the National Assembly.
Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado explained that intelligence assessments revealed coordinated retaliatory gang violence involving multiple criminal factions.
Rosado said the violence has developed beyond isolated personal disputes, with longstanding internal gang conflicts and rivalries spreading across communities.
The Commissioner cited the recent murders of Dodrick Madrill, the four victims of Friday’s Coastal Plain Highway massacre, Herbert Belloso in Ladyville and Charles Nolberto in Belize City as examples of the deteriorating security situation.
Police maintain that traditional law enforcement measures have proven insufficient to contain the escalating violence.
The declaration comes less than two months after a landmark Court of Appeal judgment found that two states of emergency imposed in Belize City in 2020 were unconstitutional.
As previously reported by Breaking Belize News, the government had been considering a further appeal before the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Chebat appealed for public cooperation, acknowledging that the emergency measures could inconvenience law-abiding citizens.
The post State of emergency declared in 19 areas of Belize City, Ladyville, Cotton Tree and Unitedville following deadly violence appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: The Government of Belize has officially declared a State of Public Emergency covering 19 designated areas of Belize City, sections of Ladyville and the Cayo District villages of Cotton Tree and Unitedville following an alarming escalation in gang-related murders and shootings. Minister of National Security, Energy and Ports Michel Chebat
The post State of emergency declared in 19 areas of Belize City, Ladyville, Cotton Tree and Unitedville following deadly violence appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.