Dominican Republic signs Berbice onshore oil and gas pact with Guyana
The Dominican Republic and Guyana on Thursday signed an agreement to jointly explore and potentially develop oil and natural gas resources in the onshore Berbice region, opening a new bilateral channel outside the Stabroek Block conversation that has dominated Guyana’s energy story for the past decade. The agreement formalises cooperation on subsurface assessment, geological surveys, and potential commercial development. For the Dominican Republic — which imports the majority of its energy — a stake in Guyanese onshore production offers strategic supply diversification. For Guyana, the deal signals that energy diplomacy is broadening beyond US and European partners.
The onshore Berbice acreage has been historically underexplored compared to the offshore Stabroek and Canje blocks. For the Guyanese diaspora — in the US Northeast, Toronto, and London — the agreement adds a new dimension: the Stabroek story is a story about ExxonMobil, but this onshore Berbice story is a story about Guyana choosing partners on its own terms.
Sources: INews Guyana, May 14, 2026; Guyana Chronicle, May 14, 2026.
US Under Secretary of Economic Affairs signals Washington now eyes Guyana bauxite
US Under Secretary of Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, during this week’s official engagements, signalled that Washington is now actively interested in Guyana’s bauxite resources — broadening the US-Guyana economic conversation beyond the oil sector. Helberg also confirmed that the US is monitoring Venezuela’s ICJ position closely and that the two governments are exploring a “working group” to fast-track mineral and technology investments. The signal lands as Congressman Gabe Evans publicly raised concerns about Chinese commercial expansion in Guyana, particularly Chinese firms entering hospital and bridge construction, mining, and now reportedly fishing license applications. The Guyanese diaspora investment-tracker community will read the bauxite signal as a meaningful expansion of US strategic interest beyond hydrocarbons.
Sources: Kaieteur News, May 14-15, 2026; Guyana Chronicle, May 14, 2026.
President Ali sacks several Regional Executive Officers in cabinet shake-up
President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday, May 13, convened a high-level meeting with Cabinet members, soon-to-be-appointed Regional Executive Officers, Permanent Secretaries and senior officers, in what Kaieteur News framed as a sacking of several REOs — with Sandy in and Dwight John out. The reshuffle signals an administration tightening operational delivery in the second term. Jagdeo separately conceded that “citizens are impatient for faster results” and that the government is “accelerating response.” For Guyanese watching from abroad, the REO reshuffle is the kind of mid-cycle administrative correction that signals whether the second-term government is willing to swap personnel to clear delivery bottlenecks.
Sources: Kaieteur News, May 14, 2026; News Room Guyana, May 13, 2026.
Henry boys murder trial cross-examination intensifies at Berbice High Court
Cross-examination intensified at the Berbice High Court on Wednesday as defence attorney Dexter Todd and prosecution witness Akash Singh — formerly charged with the killings before turning state’s witness — engaged in a fiery exchange during the ongoing trial into the 2020 killings of cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry. The trial of Vinood Gopaul and Anil Sancharra, which opened May 7 after nearly six years of delays, has captured national attention. Singh testified earlier this week that the boys were killed over a damaged cannabis farm. The State will call 45 witnesses. The case became a flashpoint in 2020 for race, security, and judicial transparency conversations; its outcome will be read closely by the Guyanese diaspora that watched the original protests from abroad.
Sources: Kaieteur News, May 14, 2026; INews Guyana, May 9, 2026; HGPTV, May 13-14, 2026.
Court of Appeal rules for ExxonMobil and EPA, overturning 2023 financial assurance judgment
The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of ExxonMobil Guyana Limited and the Environmental Protection Agency, overturning a 2023 High Court judgment delivered by Justice Sandil Kissoon concerning financial assurance requirements under ExxonMobil’s offshore petroleum environmental permit. The reversal removes one of the most significant legal challenges to ExxonMobil’s offshore operations and clarifies the EPA’s regulatory authority under the existing permit. For the Guyanese diaspora tracking the long debate over whether Exxon’s parent-company guarantees adequately cover potential spill liabilities, the ruling closes a chapter that civil society groups had used as a vehicle to press for stronger environmental safeguards.
Source: News Room Guyana, recent reporting, May 2026.