| So, tonight, the status of the gang truce remains iffy. There has been no disturbance since Saturday morning's killing of 9 year old Aaron Myvett Pope so far - and today the Prime Minister told us he hopes there will be none.
And it's not just faint hope, as we reported last night, RESTORE Belize and CYDP - who are the custodians of the truce and the managers of the gang working programme - have activated the dialogue mechanism between gang leaders to try and ensure that hostilities do not escalate.
Today the Prime Minister - who forged the truce in September - told us he thinks it is holding and will continue to do so:
Jules Vasquez
"What is the status? Is it, to your information, still holding?"
Prime Minister Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"Yes, which is not to say that it didn't appear to be a close-run thing, but obviously the incident at Palm Island was not specifically gang-driven. I don't know Mr. Briceno to be a gang banger. There are suggestions about affiliations and that sort of thing, and as I'm told, the shooting took place in consequence of a club altercation. Obviously, though, what happened, with respect to the murder of the child, was some form of retaliation for what went on in the club. I am limited, of course, in what I can say because I don't know that the police have yet arrested anyone in connection with the murder of the child. Certainly, our sources say that that murder was carried out by people who are not a part of the gang truce. As far as our information goes, while those responsible for the murder are known underworld figures, the fact that they are not part of our deal is reassuring. Now, it doesn't mean that we are home free, but certainly, those that are formally part of the truce, including leaders, have met to ensure that as far as possible, we can contain any possibility of a spill-over as a consequence of the murder of the child. So far, so good, but naturally, this situation is always so tricky, so dicey, so delicate, that I hope I am not speaking to soon, but I think it is fair to say, so far so good."
As we've reported RESTORE Belize and the CYDP have facilitated two meetings between gang leaders - including those from George Street and Taylor's Alley...
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