Caricom leaders respond to crisis in Haiti with plans to provide support and help

BY PAUL JUNOR

There has been extensive media coverage and international attention focused on the ongoing crisis in Haiti. The rapidly increasing disintegration of civil society, explosion in chaos and disorder as lawlessness and illicit activities permeate the country is concerning.

The control of the country by warring gangs and the resulting pandemonium in the capital has been troubling. The fact that the President is out of the country and cannot return has been seized upon by gang leaders. It is in this context that CARICOM leaders held a high-level meeting on Monday, March 11^th, 2024, at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica in an attempt to come to a resolution of the crisis and prevent further unrest and chaos.

Prime Minister, Andrew Holness addressed the representatives in his opening remarks. He states, “Caricom heads have been intensely engaged in discussion and outreach, which deepened over the past weeks and indeed today. Strong and decisive actions owned by the people of Haiti must be taken to stem the sea of lawlessness and hopefulness before it is too late.  

We are deeply distressed that it is already too late for too many who have lost far too much at the hands of the criminal gangs. The fear of the situation in Haiti worsening to becoming a civil war is now a real one. We all agreed that this cannot be allowed to happen, not in our hemisphere with our long-standing democratic tradition and reputation as a zone of peace.”

PM Holness notes that an important objective of the hastily called meeting is to assure Haitians that the decreasing situation will improve, and that their voice will be heard. He states further, “Haitians’ voices must be central to any deliberation towards a resolution of the situation. The Haitian people must feel and know that they are a vital part of the process having ownership in its planning and implementation. However, we who have agreed to facilitate consensus, will do an injustice to the people of Haiti if we ourselves are unable to move forward with urgency and resolve.

We look forward to the harvesting of the results of the discussions that we have been engaging in today. This special meeting must lead us closer to actions, as each passing day the situation becomes more dire for the majority of the people of Haiti and indeed the region. We must resolve to end this state of play, and by our actions provide hope for Haitians that this time there will be a positive outcome and things will indeed get better.”

President of Guyana, H. E. Dr. Mohamed Infaan Ali announced that Interim President of Haiti, Ariel Henry resigned and there will be the establishment of a Transnational Presidential Council and the naming of a new Interim Prime Minister. He states, “I want to pause and thank PM Ariel Henry for his service to Haiti and to the Haitian people, and advancement of the people of Haiti.” He describes some of the latest developments with respect to the seven-member Council that consists of seven-voting members and two non-voting ones. The Council will be composed of representatives from the: political, religious, civic, and business groups.

Anthony Blinken, U.S Secretary of State made an announcement upon arrival. He states,

“What we have seen in recent days again should remind us that the already challenging and difficult security situation has now deteriorated further and makes this multinational support mission even more important than ever. Given this increasingly urgent need, I’m announcing today that the U.S Department of Defense is doubling its support for the mission from $100 million to $200 million, and that brings the total U.S support to $300 million for this support. I’m also announcing additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti, $33 million for further support towards health and food security.”