Caribbean & Central America - April 2025

Even before the chaos which characterised the 9 March primaries ahead of Honduras’ 30 November 2025 general elections [WR-25-10], civil society groups had raised multiple concerns about the electoral process – not least the lack of transparency of campaign finance as the first piece in this April 2025 edition of the Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America explores.... Read More

Even before the chaos which characterised the 9 March primaries ahead of Honduras’ 30 November general elections, in which polling stations opened hours late due to delays in the delivery of electoral material [WR-25-10], civil society groups had raised multiple concerns about the electoral process – not least the lack of transparency of campaign finance.... Read More

On 13 March Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino announced the closure of migration centres which have been functioning since 2016 in the Darién Gap, the lawless jungle area bordering Colombia that hitherto served as a key migration route northwards.... Read More

At the end of February Nicaragua’s government led by authoritarian President Daniel Ortega announced its withdrawal from the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (UNHRC).... Read More

On 26 February the executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed that it had approved a financing agreement worth US$1.4bn for El Salvador.... Read More

On 1 March the power went out throughout Honduras, the latest sign of ongoing fragility in the electricity system despite government promises to overhaul the energy sector.... Read More

Belize’s ruling centre-left People’s United Party (PUP) won a sweeping victory in snap general elections on 12 March that strengthened Prime Minister John Briceño’s mandate as he heads into his second term after his first election victory in 2020. ... Read More

Faced with a deteriorating security situation in neighbouring Haiti, the Dominican Republic is continuing to crack down on immigration from across the border through controversial measures that range from mass deportations to building a wall.... Read More

Although Jamaica remains a violent country, the number of homicides has begun to trend downwards.... Read More

On 1 March a Venezuelan coastguard vessel entered Guyana’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), approaching FPSO Prosperity, an oil rig operated by US firm ExxonMobil, and demanding information from its crew.... Read More

Trinidad & Tobago’s Prime Minister Stuart Young announced this month that the US had revoked special licences for the development of two offshore natural gas projects between Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela: Dragon, which was being developed by British multinational oil firm Shell and Trinidad’s state-owned Natural Gas Company (NGC), and Cocuina-Manakin, which was being developed by NGC and British multinational BP.... Read More

The St Lucia economy had a strong year in 2024 but the pace is now set to slow as the government struggles with heavy debt levels.... Read More

In February Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, who also coordinates Caribbean Community (Caricom) initiatives on agriculture and food security, told a meeting of regional leaders in Georgetown that despite some progress Hurricane Beryl and global supply chain disruption was continuing to disrupt efforts to improve nutrition in the Caribbean region.... Read More

REGION | Mulling a response to US tariffs.... Read More