2024-03-12 12:52:04
Watch the World·Haiti Crisis｜Haiti is on the “brink of disaster”, the Prime Minister resigns, the United States and Europe withdraw their personnel
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 12 (Xinhua) Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced on the 11th that the Haitian government will resign following the establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council. The Caribbean Community held an emergency meeting on the security situation in Haiti that day and expressed cautious optimism regarding achieving a political solution.
On August 24, 2021, a woman walked on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti with fruit on her head. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by David De La Paz)
The security situation in Haiti has seriously deteriorated recently and is on the “brink of disaster.” The diplomatic missions of the United States, Germany and the European Union in Haiti began to withdraw personnel.
Resignation paves the way
CARICOM held a closed-door meeting in Jamaica on the 11th. In addition to CARICOM members, the United States, France, Canada and the United Nations were also invited to attend the meeting. According to AFP, Haitian Prime Minister Henry and other relevant parties in Haiti participated in the meeting remotely.
Mohamed Irfan Ali, the rotating chairman of CARICOM and President of Guyana, said that the security situation in Haiti has deteriorated sharply recently and is already on the “brink of disaster.”
Ali also said: “Based on today’s discussions, I am optimistic. I am very confident that we have found common ground and found a common path that will help develop solutions that are led by Haitians and belong to Haitians.”
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley said that relevant parties in the Haiti issue generally agreed to immediately form a transitional presidential committee, then appoint an interim prime minister and form a government. Additionally, a provisional election committee should be formed.
Ali announced later that day that Henry had agreed to resign, making way for the formation of a transitional presidential council and the appointment of an interim prime minister. The Transitional Presidential Council will consist of seven voting members and two non-voting observers and will temporarily exercise some presidential powers.
Henry also announced in a recorded video that his government would resign following the Transitional Presidential Council is established and an interim prime minister is appointed.
This is the coffin of President Moise taken in the Haitian city of Cap-Haitien on July 23, 2021. The funeral of Haitian President Moise, who was assassinated, was held in Cap-Haitien on the same day. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Kutan)
On July 7, 2021, Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated, leaving a power vacuum. Gang activities have become more rampant and vicious crimes have surged. Moïse appointed Henry prime minister before his assassination. In December 2022, the Haitian transitional government reached a consensus agreement on the national political transition with some parties and civil society groups. General elections should be held in 2023 and power should be transferred to the democratically elected government in February this year. However, the security situation has not improved and the general election has not yet been held.
“Failed” countries
Since February 29 this year, gang organizations have attacked the Port-au-Prince police station, police academy, international airport and other facilities, demanding Henry step down. The Haitian government announced on March 7 that it would extend the state of emergency in the Western Province, where Port-au-Prince is located, to April 3 and continue to implement a curfew. On the 8th, a large-scale gun battle broke out near the presidential palace.
United Nations data shows that the rampant gangs in Haiti have triggered a humanitarian disaster, with more than 300,000 people displaced and more than 5.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, accounting for nearly half of the country’s population.
The U.S. military said on the 10th that non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti had been evacuated and that additional troops were deployed to strengthen the security of the embassy. According to the Associated Press, most of the area around the U.S. Embassy is controlled by gangs. The German government said on the same day that the German ambassador to Haiti evacuated that day. The European Union said on the 11th that all EU diplomats had evacuated.
The US military statement specifically mentioned that “there were no Haitians” on the US military aircraft carrying the evacuees. According to the Associated Press, this statement seemed to be intended to clarify speculation that senior Haitian government officials would flee Haiti on a US military plane.
Guyana Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said on the 10th that Haiti is becoming a “failed” country. “Criminals have taken over the country and there is no government anymore.” All parties participating in the meeting will seek to “inject order and restore a certain level of confidence among the Haitian people (in the country).”
Henry was visiting Kenya when gangs began attacking government and public facilities. On the 5th, he tried to enter Dominica, which borders Haiti, but was refused, so he diverted to Puerto Rico, an overseas territory of the United States. Agence France-Presse quoted a US official as saying on the 12th that Henry agreed in principle to resign on the 8th, and the US agreed that he might stay on US soil in the future.
Spending money to “hedge”
Henry was in Kenya promoting the entry of the multinational security support mission into Haiti. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution in October last year authorizing United Nations member states to form and deploy a multinational security support mission to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring security in Haiti. Kenya agreed to take the lead in establishing a multinational security support mission.
The United Nations Security Council reiterated its support for the deployment of a multinational security support mission on the 11th and called on all parties in Haiti to “conduct substantive negotiations in a constructive manner” to hold elections.
However, the deployment of the security support mission did not go smoothly. A Kenyan court previously ruled the deployment violated the Kenyan constitution. Reuters reported on the 12th, citing United Nations data, that as of the 11th, only less than US$11 million in special funds for this plan had been received.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the CARICOM meeting on the 11th that the United States will contribute an additional US$100 million to the Security Support Mission plan. He said that the United States supports Haiti in forming a “broad-based, inclusive and independent” presidential council and holding elections. “Only Haitians can determine their own future.”
The United States has historically sent troops to occupy Haiti, supported authoritarian governments and launched military interventions. However, current President Joseph Biden has refused to send troops to help restore order in Haiti. In 1994, as a U.S. senator, Biden told the U.S. media that the impoverished, unstable neighbor “will have very little impact on our interests whether it sinks quietly into the Caribbean or rises 300 feet.” Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, called Haiti a “shithole” country.
Agence France-Presse reported that Canada was also willing to provide money but not personnel on the grounds that it was too dangerous and doubted whether the mission of the Security Support Mission might be successful.
Jean-Marie Théoda, a scholar at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, said he doubted that the multinational security support mission might deal with “thousands of gangsters armed to the teeth” who rely on the influx of weapons from the United States to traffic drugs in Haiti , kidnapping, and extortion, their power has surpassed the national political and security agencies, and controls more than 80% of Port-au-Prince.
A report last year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated that large quantities of sniper rifles, assault rifles, machine guns and other weapons were smuggled from the United States to Haiti. Frederic Thomas, a scholar at the Belgian think tank “Three Continents Center”, said that the United States supports a “very unpopular” political class in Haiti and allows it to fight gangs. This is “completely contradictory” because the United States supports The political class relies on the support of gangsters for its existence. (Hui Xiaoshuang)
1710280411
#Watching #WorldHaiti #CrisisHaiti #brink #disaster #Prime #Minister #resigns #United #States #Europe #withdraw #personnelXinhuanet #Client
