SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — The prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said Tuesday his government did not grant US authority for a recent strike on an alleged drug boat in local waters that killed three people.
Prime Minister Godwin said at a press conference on Friday that his administration found out about the deadly Feb. 13 strike through social media and online reports.
“There is no direct communication with us regarding the strikes,” he said, adding that Caribbean leaders have expressed concern. “It is acknowledged that this is a serious matter because of the risk it potentially poses to our people going about their normal business. … People navigating the water want to know they are safe.”
The US military said three people were killed in the attack, but did not confirm their identities.
Relatives of a St. Lucia boat captain recently told The Associated Press that Ricky Joseph, a 35-year-old father of four killed in the strike, had gone missing and left on the boat as shown in pictures posted on social media after the strike.
Caribbean leaders met recently to talk about safety and security concerns over US drone strikes “in our waters,” he said Friday.
He said. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Caribbean leaders who met for a regional summit in St. Kitts last week “agreed that this is a serious issue that affects all of us” and said he would pursue it with US officials.
The strikes began in early September and have killed at least 151 people since US President Donald Trump’s administration targeted what it calls “narco-terrorists” on small ships.
Caribbean officials on Friday said they had discussed with Rubio a request to use St. Vincent and other Caribbean nations as transit hubs for migrants intercepted at the US southern border for repatriation to their countries of origin.
“I emphasized that for any such transit program to proceed … it must be clearly defined, transparent and, for a country of our size, managed with our limitations,” Friday said.
Asked what is the legal status of such migrants while in Caribbean countries and what happens if they are not repatriated, he said he requested data on the number of people in transit and specific time frames at transit points.
“The goal is to have a coordinated approach,” Friday said, adding that there is free movement of people within the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.
Caribbean leaders agreed at a summit last week to send humanitarian aid to Cuba “to help alleviate the current dire situation,” he said Friday.
He said the effort would be coordinated by the secretariat of the 15-member regional trade bloc CARICOM.
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