Small boats off the coast of Saint Lucia. Photo: St. Lucia Times/McAllister Hunt.
Tensions are rising in Saint Lucia’s fishing sector after the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) confirmed carrying out a “lethal kinetic attack” against a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, an extrajudicial killing that left three people dead and, according to regional reports, could include at least two Saint Lucian citizens among the victims.
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre confirmed that “people lost their lives” in the incident, although he stressed that his government has not received official notification regarding the circumstances or the nationalities of the deceased. He indicated that the government is acting through diplomatic and security channels to clarify the facts and that the investigation is the responsibility of the competent authorities.
The operation, carried out on Friday by US forces under the command of General Francis L. Donovan, was presented by Washington as part of its offensive against drug trafficking in the region. SOUTHCOM claimed that the vessel was traveling along known illicit trafficking routes and that those killed were “narco-terrorists,” though it has not released any evidence to support that claim.
Since September 2025, the United States has carried out at least 36 strikes against vessels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, with a death toll exceeding 120 people, according to official US figures.
In Castries and other coastal communities, the impact has been immediate. Representatives of fishing cooperatives warn that fear is disrupting maritime activity, a cornerstone of household livelihoods in low-income and middle-income communities.
📌El Primer Ministro de Santa Lucía, Philip J. Pierre, ha activado canales diplomáticos y de seguridad ante informes urgentes que señalan a, al menos, dos sanlucenses entre las tres víctimas de un ataque con dron de Estados Unidos contra un barco pesquero en el Mar Caribe.
🔴El… pic.twitter.com/V3OsdHO8an
— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) February 17, 2026
Kaygianna Toussaint Charlery, operations manager for the Goodwill Fishermen cooperative, noted that concerns have intensified, as the possibility of being caught in military operations “is no longer a distant possibility.” This fear not only endangers fishermen’s lives, but also threatens the stability of the national food supply and the incomes of hundreds of households.
Although fishing authorities maintain strict regulations on licenses, identification, and territorial limits, industry representatives acknowledge that regulatory compliance does not guarantee protection when strikes are carried out from the air, without prior interception and without showing respect for life.
The discovery of a vessel’s wreckage near Canouan, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has raised questions about whether the strike occurred in international waters or within Caribbean territorial jurisdiction. So far, the government of that country has not issued a public statement.
Experts in international law and human rights have warned that these types of operations may constitute extrajudicial executions, even when the people attacked are allegedly linked to drug trafficking.
Last month, relatives of Trinidadian citizens killed in a similar operation filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston, alleging that the events constituted “unlawful cold-blooded murders.”
The administration of President Donald Trump maintains that the actions are directed against organizations that transport drugs into the United States and that represent a direct threat to its national security.
However, in the insular Caribbean, concerns are growing about the impact of these interventions on state sovereignty, the safety of civilian fishermen, and regional stability. The Saint Lucian government has insisted that any action will be based on verified facts and the defense of national interests.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JB/SH
