KINGSTON, Jamaica – LANDS, the emerging political movement in Jamaica, has voiced deep concern over what it describes as the increasing militarisation of the Caribbean, facilitated by governments that publicly commit to maintaining the region as a Zone of Peace while quietly enabling foreign military involvement.
In a strongly worded statement, the group criticised Caribbean leaders for allowing foreign powers to deploy military hardware in the region and for collaborating with the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on security operations.
“Our leaders go abroad to deliver poetic rhetoric about peace and sovereignty, yet their domestic actions contradict those promises,” the statement read. “These fine words may make good headlines, but they do nothing to protect the people who continue to suffer under the shadow of foreign military influence.”
The movement warned that the Caribbean risks becoming entangled in the same kind of devastation seen in other conflict zones. It drew parallels with U.S.-backed military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and more recently, with the destruction of Gaza, arguing that similar policies of militarisation and foreign control could have grave consequences for small island nations.
The statement also highlighted the ongoing crisis in Haiti, recalling how previous foreign interventions led to human rights abuses, disease outbreaks, and social instability. It accused regional governments of supporting yet another U.S.-sponsored intervention under the pretext of peacekeeping.
“After supporting coups and foreign missions that deepened Haiti’s suffering, some Caribbean governments are now opening the door to more of the same,” the group said. “These are the same forces that cannot be trusted to offer real solutions.”
The movement further criticised the deployment of U.S. naval fleets in the Caribbean, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking, saying such missions allow foreign soldiers to operate freely in regional waters, sometimes harassing local fisherfolk and limiting their livelihoods.
The group warned that normalising such activity could pave the way for deeper foreign control. “How long before the same country that floods our region with guns deploys troops within our borders — claiming to fight crime or protect democracy?” the statement asked.
Calling on CARICOM to “grow a spine” and assert regional sovereignty, the movement urged leaders to put the interests of Caribbean people ahead of foreign powers. It also invoked the 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada — aided by the Regional Security System (RSS) — as a reminder of the dangers of aligning too closely with external military agendas.
“Our region should be nobody’s backyard,” the group declared. “We need leaders who defend the Caribbean’s sovereignty and stand with their people, not those who turn our nations into playgrounds for foreign empires.”