PM still guarded on question of permission for US operations in SVG waters

Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday, side swiped a question whether this country had given the green light to the United States of America to carry out military strikes in the economic zone of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). The issue was raised at a press conference given by the prime minister on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 in the weeks following a deadly strike by the US military off Canouan on a St Lucia vessel on February 13, 2026 that resulted in the deaths of three St Lucian fishermen and the destruction of their fishing vessel, Zouti.

“We have received reports from our law enforcement. We have also had…I’ve had direct conversation with the RSS [Regional Security System]. We have had reporting at CARICOM Heads. We have had the minister of national security follow up with this matter very, very actively, very keenly …has kept me abreast of it,” Dr. Friday stated.

“The problem and the challenges is what continues now. I’ve spoken to my regional partners, to the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia specifically about this incident shortly after it happened. And these are-the lack of information is not from a lack of desire on our part to seek that information. We have not been able to get that information or confirmation from the U.S. authorities.”

Since the February 13 deadly boat strike within the exclusive economic zone of St Vincent and the Grenadines two other strikes are reported to have taken place in the Caribbean, on February 16, and February 23, 2026 respectively. The exact locations of those two strikes in the region have not been detailed.

“Have you, prime minister…been able to get your investigative forces to give you a report as to what, when, how; and did the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines give the government of the United States of America the authority to carry out such a strike in its waters?, Dr. Friday was further asked.

In response, the prime minister said: “The requests and the dialogue continues. I said earlier on, I don’t want to get into too much specifics of it. I said earlier on in my presentation that it was discussed at the (Caricom) conference and that efforts will be made. It was recognized that this is a very serious matter. It’s very concerning because of the impact and the reaction of many of our citizens, a reasonable reaction, and that efforts will be made to follow up with this with the U.S…the relevant U.S. authorities”.

Noting that the SVG Coast Guard, and he himself have encouraged Vincentian fisherfolk to continue going to sea, and that while it has not been ascertained if an investigation had been undertaken, Dr. Friday was asked among other things, how soon there was a response to the incident, and what was uncovered.

Reference was also made to the 1995 Shiprider Agreement as the question was again posed whether the Americans were given permission to operate deadly military strikes in waters of SVG and whether as Chair of the OECS, the prime minister could shed some light on this matter.

While fisherfolk are struck dead in waters of the Caribbean, US President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address on February 24, 2026 spoke satisfyingly about their operations in this region.

“With our new military campaign, we have stopped record amounts of drugs coming into our country and virtually stopped it completely coming in by water or sea,” Trump said.

“You probably noticed that we very seriously damaged their fishing industry. Also, nobody wants to go fishing any more.” President Trump has said the deadly strikes on boats at sea in the Caribbean and Pacific which have so far killed close to 200, are to stop narco-traffickers from taking drugs into the USA.