SUMMARY

The Buxton gang has since 2002 engaged in numerous kidnappings, murders, and robberies, spreading fear amongst the Guyanese population. The gang was formed by criminals after a prison break in 2002 and their leader Rondell “Fineman” Rawlins was the most wanted man in Guyana until his death in 2008. In 2006 the gang murdered the Agricultural Minister Satyadeow Sawh, but it was not until 2008 that the gang attacked civilians on a large scale. The gang is based in Buxton, a small village primarily inhabited by Afro-Guyanese, and they have claimed to be fighting for the rights of the Afro-Guyanese.

Following an alleged kidnapping of Rawlins’ girlfriend in January 2008 the Buxton gang threatened to create mayhem if the security forces did not release her. The Guyanese police, who denied any involvement in the kidnapping, was attacked on several occasions during the spring of 2008. Rawlins also carried out three attacks on civilians during the year, resulting in the deaths of 29 civilians, including six children. Rawlins was killed during a shootout with the police in August, and the gang has been quiet ever since. The attacks by the Buxton gang have been concentrated on the eastern parts of Guyana, for instance Buxton and the Georgetown area.

The Buxton gang first became active as a one-sided actor in 2008, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in June that year when the gang tortured and killed eight miners, the third attack on civilians that year.