Guyana Indigenous Groups Demand Transport Reform After MV Barima Disaster

Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) Executive Director Jean La Rose led a picket of about 100 people outside the Office of the President in Georgetown, calling for new legislation, stronger monitoring and better facilities for air, water and road transport. The protest followed the capsizing of the passenger vessel MV Barima, which killed more than 70 people and exposed long‑standing weaknesses in Guyana’s transport oversight for remote Indigenous communities.

La Rose said the tragedy showed that the “broken” transport system has endangered Indigenous lives for decades and urged the resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill to ensure a fair investigation. She demanded clear national safety standards and enforcement mechanisms to protect people traveling to hospitals, schools and markets across the hinterland and riverine areas.