Bahamas News
World Leaders Speak on Assassination of the President of Haiti
#TheCaribbean, July 7, 2021 – This morning, we awoke to the very sad and disturbing news of the death of Jovenel Moise, the President of the Republic of Haiti, who was killed at his residence at about 1:00 am today, Wednesday 7 July 2021. A statement by Prime Minister Dr. Claude Joseph released this morning confirmed the assassination of President Moise and that the President’s wife, First Lady Moise, was also seriously injured. The Government of The Bahamas is deeply saddened by these developments and strongly condemns the actions of the perpetrators. We offer our deepest condolences to the Government and the people of Haiti. The Heads of Government of CARICOM at its 42nd meeting, which concluded on 6 July 2021, discussed the ongoing situation in Haiti and offered its assistance in finding a peaceful resolution to the political crises. I have been in contact with the Honourable Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains in contact with our Embassy in Haiti. All staff are safe. The Embassy is monitoring the situation. We pray for the people of Haiti and for a peaceful resolution to the political crises.
Dr. Hubert Minnis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas
“I have met and spoken with President Moise many times and in all my interactions with him, particularly within the context of CARICOM, I found him to be a man committed to seeing Haiti take her place in the world. This heinous act is a stain on Haiti and a sorrowful time for the region.”
Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica
“The assassination of President Moise of Haiti is an atrocious act which Barbados vehemently condemns. Violence can never be a solution, and must be rejected in all circumstances.”
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados
“The late President was mired in a debate as to whether his term ended months ago, or continues until early next year. This uncertainty, as well as, the presence of armed gangs determined to claim control over parts of Port au Prince, the capital, made governance extremely complex and dangerous.
All of CARICOM feel the pain which has been inflicted on Haiti by this killing.”
Gaston Browne, Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
“I am shocked and saddened at the death of President Moise,” Johnson said after Haiti’s interim prime minister announced the president had been shot dead by in his home by unidentified attackers.
“Our condolences are with his family and the people of Haiti. This is an abhorrent act and I call for calm at this time.”
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister
“We’re deeply shocked & grieved by the assassination of President Moise & the wounding of the first lady. The government & people of Taiwan condemn such senseless violence & stand in solidarity with Haiti at this difficult time.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the incident in the strongest terms, according to a statement issued. The Secretary-General calls on all Haitians to preserve the constitutional order, remain united in the face of this abhorrent act and reject all violence.”
The United Nations
French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian has condemned the “cowardly assassination” of Haitian President Jovenel Moise at his private residence and appealed for calm. “All light must be cast on this crime that took place in a deteriorating political and security climate. I call on all actors in Haitian political life for calm and restraint.”
Jean Yves LeDrian, France Foreign Minister
“It is absolutely unacceptable and not something anyone wants to see anywhere in the world. Canada has been and will continue to be a close friend to the Haitian people.”
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, Canada
“We condemn this heinous attack and I am sending my sincere wishes for First Lady Moise’s recovery,” Biden said in a statement. “The United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti.”
“We need a lot more information but it’s just, it’s very worrisome about the state of Haiti.”
Joe Biden, President of the United States of America
“On behalf of the Government and People of Saint Lucia, I convey our deepest sympathies to Haiti. We condemn the heinous assassination of President Jovenel Möise and all acts of violence. We pray for stability and peace as the Region mourns his passing.”
Allen Chastanet, Prime Minister of St Lucia
“It is with profound sadness that the government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines learnt of the assassination of Jovenel Moïse of the Republic of Haiti, a member-state of our Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This senseless and cowardly act of unbridled violence has shocked and outraged many throughout the Caribbean Community and the world. In our Caribbean Community we settle political differences peacefully through democratic institutions; we do not use violence and thuggery which undermine democracy and the rule of law.”
Ralph Gonsalves Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
“The Turks and Caicos Islands Government was saddened to learn of the news of the death of President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse this morning. There are no words to describe or justify such an abhorrent act.
On behalf of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government and the people of the TCI, I extend sincere condolences to the Moïse family, to the Haitian Government, the people of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora in the TCI. Our hearts go out to you in your time of mourning.
To President Moïse’s wife, First Lady Mrs. Martine Moïse, our thoughts and prayers are with you as mourn and as you recover from this horrific incident.
My Government have been briefed on the situation in Haiti and will continue to monitor the latest developments. Our National Security Council will be engaging with internal stakeholders to discuss possible implications for the Turks and Caicos Islands and other territories in the region.
My prayer is that the perpetrators are found and held accountable for their malicious actions and that peaceful resolve and good order can arise from such a horrible tragedy.”
Washington Misick – Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Photo Credit (Pres. Joe Biden): Matt Rourke/AP/Shutterstock
PM: Project delivers on promise and invests in youth, sports and national development
GRAND BAHAMA, The Bahamas — Calling it the fulfillment of a major commitment to the island, Prime Minister Philip Davis led the official groundbreaking for the Grand Bahama Aquatic Centre, a facility the government says will transform sports development and create new opportunities for young athletes.
Speaking at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex on February 12, the Prime Minister said the project represents more than bricks and mortar
— it is an investment in people, national pride and long-term economic activity. The planned complex will feature a modern 50-metre competition pool, designed to meet international standards for training and regional and global swim meets. Davis said the facility will give Bahamian swimmers a home capable of producing world-class performance while also providing a space for community recreation, learn-to-swim programmes and water safety training.
He noted that Grand Bahama has long produced outstanding athletes despite limited infrastructure and said the new centre is intended to correct that imbalance, positioning the island as a hub for aquatic sports and sports tourism.
The Prime Minister also linked the development to the broader national recovery and revitalisation of Grand Bahama, describing the project as part of a strategy to expand opportunities for young people, create jobs during construction and stimulate activity for small businesses once operational.
The Aquatic Centre, he said, stands as proof that promises made to Grand Bahama are being delivered.
The project is expected to support athlete development, attract competitions, and provide a safe, modern environment for residents to access swimming and water-based programmes for generations to come.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
The Bahamas, February 15, 2026 – For the better part of three years, Bahamians have been told that major Afreximbank financing would help transform access to capital, rebuild infrastructure and unlock economic growth across the islands. The headline figures are large. The signing ceremonies are high profile. The language is ambitious. What remains far harder to see is the measurable impact in the daily lives of the people those announcements are meant to serve.
The Government’s push to secure up to $100 million from Afreximbank for roughly 200 miles of Family Island roads dates back to 2025. In
its February 11 disclosure, the bank outlined a receivables-discounting facility — a structure that allows a contractor to be paid early once work is completed, certified and invoiced, with the Government settling the bill later. It is not cash placed into the economy upfront. It does not, by itself, build a single mile of road. Every dollar depends on work first being delivered and approved.
The wider framework has been described as support for “climate-resilient and trade-enhancing infrastructure,” a phrase that, in practical terms, should mean projects that lower the cost of doing business, move people and goods faster, and keep the economy functioning. But for communities, that promise becomes real only when the projects are named, the standards are defined and a clear timeline is given for when work will begin — and when it will be finished.
Bahamians have seen this moment before.
In 2023, a $30 million Afreximbank facility for the Bahamas Development Bank was hailed as a breakthrough that would expand access to financing for local enterprise. It worked in one immediate and measurable way: it encouraged businesses to apply. Established, revenue-generating Bahamian companies responded to the call, prepared plans, and entered a process they believed had been capitalised to support growth. The unanswered question is how much of that capital has reached the private sector in a form that allowed those businesses to expand, hire and generate new economic activity.
Because development is not measured in the size of announcements.
It is measured in loans disbursed, projects completed and businesses expanded.
The pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. In June 2024, when Afreximbank held its inaugural Caribbean Annual Meetings in Nassau,
Grand Bahama was presented as the future home of an Afro-Caribbean marketplace said to carry tens of millions of dollars in investment. What was confirmed at that stage was a $1.86 million project-preparation facility — funding for studies and planning to make the development bankable, not construction financing. The larger build-out remains dependent on additional approvals, land acquisition and further capital.
This distinction — between financing announced and financing that produces visible, measurable outcomes — is now at the centre of the national conversation.
Because while the numbers grow larger on paper, entrepreneurs still describe access to capital as out of reach, and communities across the Family Islands are still waiting to see where the work will start.
And in an economy where stalled growth translates into lost opportunity, rising frustration and real social consequences, the gap between promise and delivery is no longer a communications issue.
It is an inability to convert announcements into outcomes.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
A hardline strategy that reduced murders, gunfire, and collateral deaths
The Bahamas, February 8, 2026 – What happens when police stop routinely granting bail to high-risk suspects and aggressively execute outstanding warrants? In The Bahamas, the answer in 2025 was fewer murders, fewer gunshots, and safer communities.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force arrested 4,337 individuals on outstanding warrants last year, ensuring suspects were brought directly before the courts instead of being released back onto the streets. At the same time, police significantly curtailed the use of police bail for high-risk and repeat offenders, particularly those already entangled in violent disputes.
Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said the shift was informed by hard lessons from previous years. Intelligence reviews showed that
many homicide victims were not random targets, but men already wanted by law enforcement and — critically — by other criminals. When released on bail, those individuals often became targets themselves, triggering retaliatory shootings that spilled into neighbourhoods, roadways and public spaces.
By keeping high-risk suspects in custody pending court appearances, police say they disrupted that cycle — removing both potential offenders and potential victims from the streets.
The impact was stark. Murders declined by 31 percent in 2025, falling from 120 in 2024 to 83, the largest percentage decrease in homicides since national tracking began in 1963 and the lowest murder count in nearly two decades.
Police leaders say the strategy also reduced the collateral damage that had increasingly alarmed communities. Innocent residents had been caught in “sprays of gunfire” as targeted attacks unfolded in residential areas, at traffic stops, and in public settings.
Gun-violence indicators reflected the change. Gunshot reports fell by 35 percent, while incidents detected by ShotSpotter technology declined by 29 percent, confirming that fewer shots were being fired across the country.
“Gunshots ringing out and cutting through our peaceful paradise were down remarkably,” Commissioner Knowles said, attributing the improvement to decisive enforcement, tighter bail practices, and sustained pressure on offenders.
Police also intensified enforcement against breach of bail conditions, charging and detaining more suspects than in any previous reporting period. Officers say the approach removed the opportunity for repeat offending while matters were before the courts.
Police leadership said the results go beyond statistics. By limiting bail for high-risk suspects and executing warrants at scale, the strategy saved lives, protected bystanders, and restored confidence in public safety.
In 2025, fewer people were hunted, fewer bullets were fired, and fewer families were left grieving — a shift police say was no accident, but the result of deliberate, hardline choices.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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