(Kaieteur News) – A second day of unrest at Vigilance, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on Wednesday sent anxious parents rushing to schools to collect their children amid reports of gunfire and burning roadblocks.
Distressed parents contacted Kaieteur News to express growing alarm after being forced, for the second consecutive day to urgently remove their children from Buxton Primary and neighbouring schools.
The renewed unrest saw burning tyres and other debris used to block sections of the ECD public road at Vigilance, while reports of gunshots sent residents scrambling for safety.
Burning tyres blocked roads at Vigilance on Wednesday.
Videos circulating online showed blazing tyres obstructing the roadway, as residents in the area were thrown into panic.
The unrest reportedly stems from the arrest of the wife and brother of US-sanctioned Mark “Demon” Cromwell and an attempted search of his Vigilance home. The police action forms part of an investigation into the disappearance of two Surinamese men who are believed to have travelled to Guyana.
The missing men have been identified as 28-year-old Van Dalen Lorenzo and 29-year-old Derryl Danillo.
According to a missing-person report issued by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the men were last seen on 28th August exiting a white Toyota Vitz in Clarasluis (Clara Sluice), Nickerie, Suriname, before boarding a boat bound for Guyana.
Police have reportedly linked the vehicle to Cromwell’s wife, as it was registered in her name.
Missing Surinamese men, Van Dalen Lorenzo and Derryl Danillo.
Police subsequently attempted to execute a search warrant at Cromwell’s home on Tuesday but were met with hostility.
Angry residents then blocked roads with burning debris, while a sand truck along the Railway Embankment at Buxton was reportedly set on fire.
When law enforcement officers attempted to extinguish some of the fires, which threatened nearby Guyana Power and Light (GPL) utility poles, they were reportedly met with hostility from persons gathered at the scene.
Residents later extinguished some of the fires before relighting others at different locations. By press time on Wednesday, three separate fires had reportedly been lit, while some residents were seen using buckets of water to douse the flames.
Police probe Tuesday unrest
In a statement issued Wednesday morning, the GPF said it had launched an investigation into the roadway obstructions and other incidents.
“At about 16:40hrs, Police ranks were proceeding to a location at Vigilance in connection with an ongoing investigation when they encountered several persons who had blocked access points in the area with burning tyres, wood and other debris,” police stated.
The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was called in to extinguish the fires, but police said persons in the area threw debris at firefighters and continued adding combustible materials to the fires.
During the incident, police also received a report that a sand truck along the Railway Embankment at Buxton had been set on fire.
Ranks responded and found the vehicle with extensive fire damage to the front cabin. The blaze was subsequently extinguished by the GFS.
“Police also received information that several loud explosions, suspected to be gunshots, were heard in the area shortly before the truck was observed on fire,” the police said.
The latest unrest has heightened concerns among parents and residents, with calls growing for authorities to restore calm and ensure that children can safely return to school without further disruptions.
Investigations are continuing.
Source: Kaieteur News
