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Blinken in Haiti to show support for fighting gang violence

Blinken met with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille and a nine-member transitional presidential council that was created after former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned….reports Asian Lite News

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Thursday in Haiti to reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to a multinational mission to fight gangs in the Caribbean country and push for long-awaited general elections as he supported consideration of a peacekeeping operation.

Some 400 Kenyan police have been deployed to Haiti to lead a U.N.-backed mission to quell gang violence in the Haitian capital and beyond, but concerns have grown that the mission lacks resources. “At this critical moment, we do need more funding, we do need more personnel to sustain and carry out the objectives of this mission,” Blinken told reporters.

He added that the U.S. is working to renew the mission, “but we also want to make sure that we have something that’s reliable, that’s sustainable. We’ll look at every option to do that. A peacekeeping operation would be one such option.”

On Wednesday, Brian Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, confirmed the U.S. government is considering a U.N. peacekeeping operation as one way to secure money and resources to fight gangs that control 80% of Haiti’s capital.

Many Haitians have rejected the proposal of another peacekeeping operation, given the introduction of cholera and sexual abuse cases that occurred when U.N. troops were last in Haiti. Blinken arrived a day after Haiti’s government extended a state of emergency to the entire country. It had been imposed earlier in the year in the capital and surrounding areas in an attempt to stem the ongoing violence.

Blinken met with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille and a nine-member transitional presidential council that was created after former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned. He also met with unspecified political party leaders, the head of the multinational mission and the chief of Haiti’s National Police.

He said the discussions centered in part on how to ensure that security personnel are well-trained, well-equipped and held accountable, adding that there’s a “clear plan” on the mission’s next steps. Talks also focused on the need to hold general elections.

“That is the critical next step,” he said. “We want to make sure Haiti is back on a clear democratic track.” Haiti last held elections in 2016, and officials since then have blamed gang violence and political upheaval for preventing them from holding new ones.

In July 2021, former President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, and gang violence since then has surged. In February, gangs launched coordinated attacks on police stations and the main international airport, which remained closed for nearly three months. They also stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates.

The violence subsided somewhat before the first contingent of Kenyan police arrived in late June, with Blinken noting that economic activity has restarted in some areas of Port-au-Prince, and that joint operations have led to successes including regaining control of Haiti’s biggest public hospital.

However, gangs continue to attack communities surrounding Port-au-Prince. “Taking back the streets from gangs is critical,” Blinken said.

After meeting with officials in Haiti, Blinken is scheduled to fly Thursday night to the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. On Friday, he is scheduled to meet with Dominican President Luis Abinader and other officials before returning to the U.S. later that day. Nichols said the talks with Abinader will focus on three priorities: strengthening economic ties, advancing values including respect for human and labor rights and promoting increased security in the region, especially in Haiti.

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Haiti reaches deal to form transitional council

Soldiers stand at the entrance of Haitian President Jovenel Moise's home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 7, 2021. (Photo by Tcharly Coutin/Xinhua/IANS)

Haiti’s political instability and crime have deepened since 2016, with recent gang attacks paralyzing key infrastructures and escalating violence against Henry…reports Asian Lite News

Amid the turmoil fuelled by gangs, Haitian leaders have finalised a deal for a temporary government, awaiting approval from outgoing authorities, reported AFP on Monday.

The transition council, comprising representatives from political parties, the private sector, and civil society, has proposed a nine-member body to oversee the country’s affairs until early 2026, paving the way for presidential elections. The mandate of this council will extend until February 7, 2026, as per the agreement seen by AFP.

The transition aims to replace outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who resigned on March 11 amidst escalating gang violence. Negotiations have been facilitated by CARICOM, the regional Caribbean body. Once approved by Haiti’s outgoing government, the council will elect a prime minister to lead until democratic elections are held. Notably, council members and government officials will be ineligible to run in these elections.

Haiti’s political instability and crime have deepened since 2016, with recent gang attacks paralyzing key infrastructures and escalating violence against Henry. His absence from the country, following a mission to Kenya seeking international security support, underscores the gravity of the crisis.

The breakthrough in negotiations, delayed by internal disputes and legal complexities, sets forth priorities focusing on security, constitutional reforms, institutional restructuring, and electoral arrangements. An imminent task includes the establishment of a national security council to oversee international security assistance, including the UN-backed mission.

With CARICOM facilitating the process, the accord awaits transmission to Haiti’s outgoing government for formal approval, signaling a tentative step towards stability in a nation marred by persistent turmoil.

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UN vote to authorize deployment in Haiti  

Soldiers stand at the entrance of Haitian President Jovenel Moise's home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on July 7, 2021. (Photo by Tcharly Coutin/Xinhua/IANS)

The US-drafted resolution on Saturday welcomes Kenya’s offer to lead the multinational security force…reports Asian Lite News

The U.N. Security Council is scheduling a vote Monday on a resolution that would authorize a one-year deployment of an international force to help Haiti quell a surge in gang violence and restore security so the troubled Caribbean nation can hold long-delayed elections.

The U.S.-drafted resolution on Saturday welcomes Kenya’s offer to lead the multinational security force. It makes clear this would be a non-U.N. force funded by voluntary contributions.

The resolution would authorize the force for one year, with a review after nine months. The force would be allowed to provide operational support to Haiti’s National Police, which is underfunded and under resourced, with only some 10,000 active officers for a country of more than 11 million people.

The resolution says the force would help built capacity of local police “through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations as it works to counter gangs and improve security conditions in Haiti.”

The force would also help secure “critical infrastructure sites and transit locations such as the airport, ports, and key intersections.” Powerful gangs have seized control of key roads leading from Haiti’s capital to the country’s northern and southern regions, disrupting the transportation of food and other goods.

Passage by the Security Council would authorize the force to “adopt urgent temporary measures on an exceptional basis” to prevent the loss of life and help police maintain public safety.

Leaders of the mission would be required to inform the council on the mission’s goals, rules of engagement, financial needs and other matters before a full deployment.

A spokesman for Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he wasn’t aware of the resolution or the upcoming vote and said the government did not immediately have comment.

The resolution condemns “the increasing violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses and violations which undermine the peace, stability, and security of Haiti and the region, including kidnappings, sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, homicides, extrajudicial killings, as well as arms smuggling.”

If adopted, it would mark the first time a force has been deployed to Haiti since the U.N. approved a stabilization mission in June 2004 that was marred by a sexual abuse scandal and the introduction of cholera. That mission ended in October 2017.

Concerns also have surrounded the proposed Kenyan-led mission, with critics noting that police in the East Africa country have long been accused of using torture, deadly force and other abuses.

The resolution stresses that all those participating in the proposed mission must take necessary action to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse as well as vet all personnel. It also demands swift investigations of any allegations of misconduct.

In addition, the resolution warns that those involved in the mission must adopt wastewater management and other environmental control to prevent the introduction and spread of water-borne diseases, such as cholera.

It wasn’t immediately clear how big the force would be if approved, although Kenya’s government has previously proposed sending 1,000 police officers. In addition, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda have pledged to send personnel.

Last month, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden promised to provide logistics and $100 million to support a Kenyan-led force.

The resolution notes that the Security Council intends to impose additional sanctions on Jimmy Chérizier, known as “Barbecue,” who heads Haiti’s biggest gang alliance. Chérizier, a former police officer, recently warned that he would fight any armed force suspected of abuses.

The proposed resolution comes nearly a year after Haiti’s prime minister and other top government officials requested the immediate deployment of a foreign armed force as the government struggles to fight violent gangs estimated to control up to 80% of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 15, more than 2,400 people in Haiti were reported killed, more than 950 kidnapped and 902 injured, according to the most recent U.N. statistics. More than 200,000 others have been displaced by violence, with many crammed in makeshift shelters after gangs pillaged their communities.

Deadly gang violence in Haiti not only continues but is escalating, particularly rape and other sexual crimes, despite sanctions imposed on syndicate leaders, a UN spokesman said.

Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the world body chief reported conditions in the Caribbean nation in his latest report, mandated by the Security Council in October 2022 when it imposed sanctions against gang leaders and their enablers that include assets freeze, a travel ban and blocking the import of arms, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Gang-related violence has continued to escalate and to spread, exposing the Haitian population to extreme and systematic violence,” Dujarric said.

“Rape and other acts of sexual violence are pervasive.”

The spokesman said while 80 per cent of criminal acts reported to the national police were committed in the Port-au-Prince area, gang activities expanded to other regions, particularly in the Artibonite Valley, Gonaives and Cap-Haitien

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UNSC extends mandate of political mission in Haiti

The resolution emphasizes the importance of allowing and facilitating unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need…reports Asian Lite News

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution unanimously to extend the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) for a year till July 15, 2024.

Resolution 2692 decides that BINUH’s police and corrections unit will include up to 70 civilian and seconded personnel to serve as police and corrections advisors and to scale up its strategic and advisory support to the training and investigation capacities of the Haitian National Police, reports Xinhua news agency.

The resolution reiterates the need for all Haitian stakeholders to continue to facilitate a Haitian-led, Haitian-owned political process to permit the organisation of free, fair and credible legislative and presidential elections, and further requests all Haitian stakeholders to urgently reach an agreement on a sustainable, time-bound and commonly accepted roadmap for elections.

It encourages continued close collaboration and enhanced coordination between BINUH, the UN Country Team in Haiti, regional organisations and subregional organisations and international financial institutions with a view to helping the Haitian government take responsibility to realise the long-term stability, sustainable development, food security, and economic self-sufficiency of the country.

It encourages member states, international financial institutions, and other entities to contribute to the Basket Fund for security assistance to Haiti, and further encourages member states and relevant international organisations to provide Haiti with capacity-building, technical support, and the training of national customs, border control, and other such relevant authorities.

It encourages member states to provide security support to the Haitian National Police in response to the appeal from the Haitian Prime Minister and the UN Secretary-General, including through the deployment of a specialized force, upon consultation with Haitian stakeholders.

It calls on UN member states to prohibit the supply, sale, or transfer of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition to non-state actors engaged in or supporting gang violence, criminal activities, or human rights abuses in Haiti, as well as to prevent their illicit trafficking and diversion. It demands cooperation between member states to prevent illicit arms trafficking and diversion, including through inspecting cargo to Haiti, as necessary.

The resolution emphasizes the importance of allowing and facilitating unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need, and the full protection, safety and security of medical and humanitarian personnel and assets.

BINUH, a special political mission established by the UN Security Council in 2019, is tasked to advise the Haitian government in promoting and strengthening political stability and good governance, preserving and advancing a peaceful and stable environment, and protecting and promoting human rights.

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Hundreds killed in one week of violence in Haiti capital

Access to healthcare is limited or non-existent, while food and water have been in short supply, he said…reports Asian Lite News

Humanitarians are delivering aid primarily in the Cite Soleil neighbourhood of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, where a week of violence claimed 471 casualties, a UN spokesman said.

“In the past few days, the UN has distributed enough food to feed 7,000 people for a week,” said Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“We have also distributed drinking water, as well as kits of basic relief items, including hygiene and baby supplies, plastic sheeting and repair items for damaged houses.”

Haq added that the world body tallied more than 471 people killed, injured or unaccounted for in clashes between rival gangs in the capital city on July 8-17 alone. About 3,000 people fled their homes, including hundreds of unaccompanied children. At least 140 houses were destroyed, several of them by fire.

Access to healthcare is limited or non-existent, while food and water have been in short supply, he said.

The Humanitarian Coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, called on all parties to end violence and to ensure unhindered access to provide emergency humanitarian and medical assistance to civilians in need, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Protection remains a real concern,” the Spokesman told correspondents at a regular briefing, adding there were reports of serious incidents of sexual violence against women and girls and boys recruited by gangs.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported earlier this month in a background report that since June 2021, violent clashes between armed gangs have dominated socio-economic life in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, spreading fear and terror among the population. The security situation has deteriorated significantly and reached new levels since April 2022.

The report cautioned that “the situation is expected to remain tense and volatile in the coming months”.

Boat capsized

At least 17 people have died after a boat carrying dozens of Haitian refugees capsized off the coast of the Bahamas during a “suspected human smuggling operation”.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of 15 females, a male, and an infant after the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force responded to the reports of a boating incident, which took place seven miles off New Providence just after 1 am on Sunday, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said in a statement.

 Davis further said that twenty-five people were recovered and handed to health officials for monitoring, but still, some people were presumed to be missing and the operation is underway, CNN reported.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that a twin-engine speed boat left a docking facility off West Bay Street around 1 am with approximately 60 people on board. It is believed that their final destination was Miami, Florida,” the Prime Minister said.

“Law enforcement officials will update you on the criminal matter as well as other rescue and recovery efforts. However, I would like to convey the condolences of my government and the people of The Bahamas to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy,” the Prime Minister said as quoted by CNN.

Condemning the smuggling operation in the country, the Bahamas PM said, “We take this opportunity to strongly condemn the organization of smuggling operations which risk human life and compromise our national security. Those found to be involved will face prosecution.”

Davis further said that he understands their (migrants) situation that led them to take such great risk.

Bahamas Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander told reporters on Sunday that an estimated 50 to 60 people were believed to have been on board the 20-ft speedboat and that the search for survivors or bodies was ongoing.

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White House to review Haiti’s request for US troops

Haiti’s interim government asked the United States and the United Nations to deploy troops to the country to secure key infrastructure in the aftermath of the assassination of President Moise….reports Asian Lite News

The White House has said that it is still reviewing Haiti’s request for US military support to stabilize the country after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday during a daily briefing that Haiti’s interim government’s request of sending US troops to the country is still under review, Xinhua reported.

When asked if the White House had ruled out sending troops, she replied “no”.

President Joe Biden on the same day told reporters that “Haiti’s political leaders need to come together for the good of their country,” adding that the United States is ready to offer assistance.

The White House said earlier that an interagency delegation with officials from the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State, and National Security Council (NSC) had travelled to Haiti on Sunday.

“The delegation reviewed the security of critical infrastructure with Haitian government officials and met with the Haitian National Police, who are leading the investigation into the assassination,” NSC spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.

The delegation also met with Haitian political leaders “to encourage open and constructive dialogue to reach a political accord that can enable the country to hold free and fair elections,” according to the statement.

Haiti’s interim government asked the United States and the United Nations to deploy troops to the country to secure key infrastructure in the aftermath of the assassination of President Moise.

The assassination of the Haitian president came two months before the country’s presidential and legislative elections, which are scheduled for September 26.

UN encourages political compromise

While encouraging leaders in Haiti to reach an inclusive political settlement for stability, UN officials also strive to resume sustainable humanitarian relief efforts after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise threw the impoverished Caribbean country into turmoil, a spokesman for the world body said.

On Friday, Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN chief’s special representative in Haiti, Helen La Lime, is in talks with political personalities and factions, stressing the urgency of the situation.

La Lime “continues to be in contact with Haitian leaders and other interlocutors stressing the urgent need to reach an inclusive political compromise to maintain stability and to chart the way forward for Haiti,” Dujarric said.

“The solution to Haiti’s challenges will come from Haitians themselves.”

The UN continues to stand by Haiti and the Haitian people to provide support, he said, adding that the situation is also threatening efforts to provide humanitarian assistance.

“Our colleagues are telling us that following the assassination of the president, efforts to respond to the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in the country are being put at risk,” Dujarric said.

Immediately after the early Wednesday attack on the President, the World Food Programme cancelled humanitarian air service flights through Thursday.

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Haiti’s interim govt requests US to deploy troops

Amid the confusion, hundreds of Haitians gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince pleading for a way out of the country….reports Asian Lite News

Haiti’s interim government said it asked the U.S. to deploy troops to protect key infrastructure as it tries to stabilize the country and prepare for elections in the aftermath of President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination.

Amid the confusion, hundreds of Haitians gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince pleading for a way out of the country. Women carried babies and young men waved passports and ID cards as they cried out, “Refuge!” and “Help!”

“We definitely need assistance and we’ve asked our international partners for help,” Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said.

The stunning request for U.S. military support recalled the tumult following Haiti’s last presidential assassination, in 1915, when an angry mob dragged President Vilbrun Guillaume Sam out of the French Embassy and beat him to death. In response, President Woodrow Wilson sent the Marines into Haiti, justifying the American military occupation — which lasted nearly two decades — as a way to avert anarchy.

But the Biden administration has so far given no indication it will provide military assistance. For now, it only plans to send FBI officials to help investigate a crime that has plunged Haiti, a country already wracked by gaping poverty and gang violence, into a destabilizing battle for power and constitutional standoff.

On Friday, a group of lawmakers announced they had recognized Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti’s dismantled senate, as provisional president in a direct challenge to the interim government’s authority. They also recognized as prime minister Ariel Henry, whom Moïse had selected to replace Joseph a day before he was killed but who had not yet taken office or formed a government.

One of those lawmakers, Rosemond Pradel, a former secretary general of Haiti’s provisional electoral commission, said that Joseph “is neither qualified nor has the legal right” to lead the country.

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