It is fair to suggest that the overwhelming consensus is that rescuing Haiti from its current economic, social and security crises has to be crafted and executed by Haitians if it is to receive acceptance and currency among citizens of that country.
The French-speaking state, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, has been in the grip of unrest and political upheaval since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, the 43rd president of Haiti, on July 7, 2021. His killing, which occurred at his private residence in the capital Port-au-Prince, has been followed by violence and conspiracies about who was actually behind his murder.
Moïse, who had become known within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), was shot dead, reportedly by a group of mercenaries including several Colombians and two Haitian-Americans.
Bizarrely, Moïse’s widow and the country’s first lady who was at home at the time and was wounded in the arm, has now been implicated in her husband’s murder. Also named by a special judge appointed to investigate the president’s murder is Dr Christian Emmanuel Sanon, who reportedly hired the hitmen.
Such is the debacle that has engulfed Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere and a country that is already battling a litany of various challenges.
Since the first democratically elected president and Roman Catholic priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the masses of Haitians have not generally felt that their needs were the priorities of political leaders.
There is an acknowledgement by most that the situation in Haiti is extremely complicated and any attempts to provide a sustainable solution will face several obstacles.
CARICOM has been mobilised, and though our resources are extremely limited, the region has collectively felt duty-bound to help its neighbour.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Guyana’s President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the current chairman of CARICOM, have become the faces of
the regional efforts to craft a plan towards political stability.
The country has been overtaken by gunmen, escaped prisoners, and hoodlums who run the streets. Law and order have broken down and though the American government has been a facilitator with CARICOM, it has taken a hands-off approach that many find perplexing when compared to the billions it is giving Israel, for example.
The decision by Kenya to send police and military officers as part of the peacekeeping force to shore up the security situation has been stalled by legal challenges to the move.
The African republic of Benin is the latest nation mulling a plan to offer security support with boots on the ground.
Ironically, CARICOM governments have been reluctant to send their own citizens to the frontlines in Haiti. Given the response of Barbadians to the announcement that members of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) will be heading to Haiti, the feeling of discomfort about the move is also among ordinary Barbadians.
We note with interest the emphatic announcement from Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Minister Dr Amery Browne that Trinidadian troops will not be setting foot in Haiti in any effort to restore democracy there. The oil producing twin-island republic has offered US$200 000 in support of the regional effort, however.
“With respect to the contribution of boots on the ground as it were, the prime minister has made it very clear that the current position of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is that we are not in a position to contribute military forces and have boots on the ground at this stage,” Minister Browne said this week.
Haiti desperately requires police and military forces to quell the mayhem in the streets as armed gangs seek to remove Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry, who incidentally has offered to resign as part of the CARICOM-US-backed brokered solution to the crisis.
Haiti is the most populated CARICOM member with over 11 million residents. Citizens are fleeing the country causing a serious humanitarian challenge to nearby states such as The Bahamas, Jamaica and the United States of America.
The 11 million Haitians are not going to disappear because countries with means refuse to help. In the vacuum, CARICOM must continue to raise its voice and draw the world’s attention to the suffering of Haitians.
