The husband of Rachel Wells and her three children, Nathaniel Jr., 8, Natalia, 5, and Ezekiel, 3, buried his family following a heartbreaking funeral on July 24, 2206.

NewsAmericas Editorial

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. July 24, 2026: Just days after US officials stood in Washington promising to help lead Guyana’s energy and infrastructure future, the country was hit by one of its worst maritime disasters in decades. So where has that promised American partnership been in the recovery?

As the MV Barima death toll climbed past 72 this week, the US response has amounted to a single social media post from Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and a statement from the US Embassy in Guyana, both offering condolences. Neither US President Donald Trump nor Secretary of State Marco Rubio has personally commented on the disaster. No US personnel, vessels or equipment have been reported as part of the search and recovery operation.

Who actually showed up

Compare that to the countries that sent people and equipment into the water. France deployed a 15-member military team from French Guiana, including 12 specialist divers, two medics and a mechanic, to join the search. Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced her government had mobilized air and naval assets along with Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force personnel, including a Coast Guard vessel. Brazil’s navy joined the recovery effort as well, assisting with diving missions at the wreck site. Even the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation pledged to stand ready to assist.

China’s response has mirrored Washington’s: the Chinese Embassy in Guyana said it was “closely following” the search and extended sympathy, but has not been reported as providing personnel or equipment either. The European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom similarly offered only condolences.

The contrast that’s hard to ignore

Just last week, Deputy Secretary Landau himself addressed a US-Guyana Investment Enabling Forum in Washington, where officials described positioning American companies to “lead in energy, infrastructure, and other sectors central to” Guyana’s growth as a strategic priority. That rhetoric of partnership and American commitment to Guyana’s future has not translated into operational support during the country’s actual moment of need.

Guyana holds one of the fastest-growing oil economies in the world, and Washington has spent months courting a deeper commercial relationship with Georgetown, paired with public reassurances about respecting the country’s sovereignty. Whether that relationship extends to showing up when Guyana is drowning, literally, is a question this week has left unanswered.

For those families facing the grueling task of burying their dead, including Rachel Wells’ surviving husband, now left to bury his wife and their three children, Nathaniel Jr., 8, Natalia, 5, and Ezekiel, 3, the US silence is mind-numbing. Even ExxonMobil, so often accused of profiting quietly off Guyana’s oil wealth while giving little back, moved faster than Washington, redirecting all ticket proceeds from next month’s Guyana Amazon Warriors Super League final to victims’ families. Washington sent a condolence post.

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