SURINAME / BARBADOS – The proliferation of illegal weapons across the Caribbean emerged as a security priority as ministers and senior law enforcement officials gathered in Suriname for the 29th meeting of the CARICOM Council for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) from 10 – 11 November 2026.
Addressing the opening session, the chair of CONSLE, Suriname’s minister of justice and security, His Excellency Harish Monorath, warned that illegal firearms continue to fuel violent crime and entrench gang activity across the Community. He expressed concern that criminal networks exploit borders, ports and maritime routes with increasing sophistication to move weapons, drugs and other illicit commodities.
“Across the Caribbean, firearms remain a significant enabler of violent crime and gang activity. Criminal groups are becoming more organised, more sophisticated and increasingly transnational,” minister Monorath said, noting that firearms trafficking has become one of the most significant enablers of violence in CARICOM member states.
The minister stressed that member states cannot tackle the challenge alone, highlighting the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation to trace the movement of illegal firearms, identify their sources, disrupt trafficking networks and improve intelligence-sharing among law enforcement agencies. He underscored the importance of accelerating implementation of the Caribbean Firearms Roadmap, describing it as a critical framework to reduce gun violence and strengthen public safety across the Community.
Suriname has already taken steps to modernise its response to gun violence, launching a digital firearms register earlier this year with support from CARICOM IMPACS. The system is designed to strengthen the monitoring and tracing of firearms and provide law enforcement agencies with enhanced tools to combat firearms-related crime.
Minister Monorath announced that advancing the regional firearms agenda will be one of three priorities during Suriname’s chairmanship of CONSLE. Efforts will focus on strengthening firearms tracing capabilities, enhancing intelligence-sharing among Member States and deepening cooperation among police, customs, immigration, coast guard and prosecutorial authorities.
“Above all, we need the political will to treat these issues as closely linked elements of one collective Caribbean security challenge,” he said.
The 29th meeting of CONSLE brought together CARICOM ministers responsible for national security and law enforcement to advance regional strategies to make the Community safer and more secure.
Recognising that dealing with the interconnected nature of firearms trafficking requires an equally coordinated CARICOM response, the ministers engaged in strategic dialogue and discussed practical responses to collective security challenges.
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