The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding has vowed to restore order in the slums of Kingston after police and the military raided a drug lord’s stronghold.
Jamaican military and officers try to re-take control of the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood of western Kingston the stronghold of Christopher “Dudus” Coke and his posse.
Approxiametly 31 people were reported to have been killed in the clashes as thousands of military officers and police attempted to go into the stronghold area of drug lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke.
The violence started in Jamaican capital, Kingston on Friday when the country’s Prime Minister, Bruce Golding finally accepted Coke’s extradition to the US after nine months of refusal.
Golding’s acceptance of the extradition of Coke to the US resulted in bombings to police stations and other official buildings by the drug lord’s gang members.
The United States had asked for the extradition of the Coke, who leads the country’s biggest, strongest and most powerful gang, “the Shower Posse” as it is feared that if the drug lord is convicted and jailed in Jamaica, he would escape from prison with the help of his ally’s.
Coke and his gang is one of the United States largest supplier of cocaine and marijuana, and is also known for supplying arms.
Christopher “Dudus” Coke who is wanted by the United States for drugs trafficking charges and arms dealing.
The gang also has ties with the Jamaica Labour Party and also many high profile politicians in the country.
Though it seems unacceptable for a political Party to have close ties with such a deadly and lawless gang, such things are normal in Jamaica as the Party’s themselves created the gangs in the 70’s to make their votes go higher.
The gangs have turned to drugs since then, but are still known for their relations with political Parties.
The gang has huge support from residents who live in the slums where the gang operates, which is why Jamaican police and military are facing an uphill challenge.
With the Jamaican government so corrupt, the economy of the country in serious danger and basic needs of the people not accounted for by the authorities, the only people your average citizens, especially in the impoverished areas of the country can go to is the drug lords and gang members.
This is the main cause behind the support of the gangs. When a resident in the slums of the country is ill, or requires, food, clothes, furniture and other basic needs which they cannot afford, they go to the gang members.
The gangs are even known to have built health centers and schools, and brought in doctors and teachers to the slums of the area.
With the weakness of the Jamaican government, average citizens are more in favor of the gangs who support them, and are helping the gang members as they do not know what they would do without the lawless groups.
The gangs however, fund the services they give to the citizens with drug and arms trafficking, especially to the United States.
The drug lord is still not caught as the authorities cannot determine the whereabouts of Coke.
Meanwhile support for Coke and it’s gang have come from all four corners of the country with other gangs who operate in the country under the umbrella of the Shower Posse have rushed into the area to protect their leader.
The Prime Minister said on Tuesday “The operation being carried out under emergency powers are extraordinary measures but they are an extraordinary response to an extraordinary challenge to the safety and security of our citizens,”
“The loss of lives of members of the security forces and those of innocent law-abiding citizens who were caught in the cross-fire are deeply regretted”.
It is also feared that estimates of the death toll may be much more after hospital officials have reported that there were dozens of injured people in which some were in serious condition.
Another hospital source who spoke to AFP News Agency said that there were more than 60 bodies which were put into the hospitals morgue.
AFP was also told of the bodies being brought in with lorries, and a large amount were riddled with bullets including an infant.
The United States is still behind their quest to extradite the 41-year-old Coke, who is the son of a former drug lord that died in a Jamaican prison after a suspicious fire.
The United States have called the drug lord one of the “world’s most dangerous” drug baron.
i have a huge dislike for the American government, under no circumstances should dudus be extradited, why has Bush not answered to war crimes that the Americans have committed. far more people have been murdered by them…..
There are grave inconsistencies here that are detrimental to the image of Jamaica. Firstly, what evidence do you have that the government is corrupt? You said they have links to the ruling JLP but you failed to mention that this broke down atleast two decades ago, the JLP currently does not have any operational links inside of those gangs. You also mentioned the 1970s but you failed to explain what happened then, you failed to explain that it was a classic cold war capitalist vs socialist battle. Micheal Manley of the PNP declares himself a socialists and backed Fudel Castro of Cuba, to the dismay of America. To prevent a socialist from leading Jamaica, America intervened and aided the JLP with weapons to arm gangs to fight the PNP.. yes and this is not speculation it’s fact.
Another inconsistency was with the baby, a seven month old who died during the violence. The baby’s body was not bullet riddled as was stated it died in a fire at a house, again not a single shot.
The ‘slums’ as they are called are far from slums. I drive through the area once in a while and it is all concrete apartment blocks stacked neatly, not the sprawling zinc fences you would expect.
Again I respect your article, you are doing your job but please get things correct first, no speculations please. I love my country but I am aware of the problems, death toll is 44 in tivoli alone, mostly gunmen while other areas have added to the total-upwards of 70 in the three parishes in 72hrs.
i have a huge dislike for the American government, under no circumstances should dudus be extradited, why has Bush not answered to war crimes that the Americans have committed. far more people have been murdered by them…..
There are grave inconsistencies here that are detrimental to the image of Jamaica. Firstly, what evidence do you have that the government is corrupt? You said they have links to the ruling JLP but you failed to mention that this broke down atleast two decades ago, the JLP currently does not have any operational links inside of those gangs. You also mentioned the 1970s but you failed to explain what happened then, you failed to explain that it was a classic cold war capitalist vs socialist battle. Micheal Manley of the PNP declares himself a socialists and backed Fudel Castro of Cuba, to the dismay of America. To prevent a socialist from leading Jamaica, America intervened and aided the JLP with weapons to arm gangs to fight the PNP.. yes and this is not speculation it’s fact.
Another inconsistency was with the baby, a seven month old who died during the violence. The baby’s body was not bullet riddled as was stated it died in a fire at a house, again not a single shot.
The ‘slums’ as they are called are far from slums. I drive through the area once in a while and it is all concrete apartment blocks stacked neatly, not the sprawling zinc fences you would expect.
Again I respect your article, you are doing your job but please get things correct first, no speculations please. I love my country but I am aware of the problems, death toll is 44 in tivoli alone, mostly gunmen while other areas have added to the total-upwards of 70 in the three parishes in 72hrs.