fnew country Experienced as much foreign interference as Haiti. After winning independence from France in 1804, it endured 20 years of American occupation. The United Nations has sent troops to the country twice since 1994. After the 2010 earthquake, aid groups flocked to it. Now, another intervention seems imminent. On October 19, the United Nations will vote on two resolutions backed by the United States and Mexico to send a force to the country and impose sanctions on gang members. The vote was postponed but is expected to take place soon.
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The proposals come after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested foreign help 12 days ago. This force may involve the armed forces in an attempt to break the gang’s grip on the country. They cut off fuel and blocked humanitarian aid. But President Joe Biden’s administration appears reluctant to send its own personnel.exist United Nations On October 17, the United States representative United Nations Speaking of “partner countries” sending “limited, carefullyUnited Nations Mission”. Goals of Phase II United Nations The resolution on sanctions will include Jimmy Chérizier, known as the “roast,” G9 Alliance, the most powerful criminal group in the country. He and others linked to the gang will have their assets frozen and face a travel ban and an arms embargo.
Foreign boots are controversial.recent United Nations The mission from 2004 to 2017 has indeed made Haiti safer. But peacekeepers also inadvertently introduced cholera into the country, killing nearly 10,000 people. Some sexually abuse girls. But today, even some Haitians, known for their resistance to interference, welcome outside help. “Depending on the goal, it could be a good thing,” said artist and English teacher Jean-Robinson-Pierre-Louis. Construction worker Robenson Dormezil believes there is no other way out. “To get out of the crisis, you need a foreign force. Unfortunately, the police are not well equipped,” he said.
Haiti’s 11.5 million people have long struggled with poverty and insecurity, and covid-19 has only made it worse. But the situation has deteriorated rapidly since then-president Jovenel Moïse was assassinated last July. Gangs proliferate. They find large numbers of recruits among young men who have no jobs or no job prospects, and their guns are easily outnumbered by the police. The number of murders has doubled since 2017. United Nations Gang rapes of children as young as 10 years old and elderly women have been documented. The normally bustling streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince, became quiet and empty after 7pm.
The current crisis was sparked when Henry ended fuel subsidies in September because his government could no longer afford them (they cost $400 million, or a quarter of government spending). Frustrated by the lack of jobs and rising prices, young Haitians took to the streets.this GThe 9 coalition dug a trench to block access to the country’s largest fuel terminal, where it says it will remain until subsidies are restored.
As a result, the fuel ran out. After the summer break, schools have not yet reopened. Only three ambulances are working in Port-au-Prince.this United Nations An estimated 4.7 million Haitians do not have enough to eat. The first outbreak of cholera in three years has killed at least 22 people. The construction site where Mr Dormezil works has been closed for the past month due to insecurity and a lack of cement. He only eats it once a day.
A domestic political solution seems unlikely. The country has no parliament, no president and no elections have been held since Mr Moise’s death. He has ruled by decree for most of his time in power since 2017. Mr Henry’s democratic mandate is even weaker and his approval ratings low. But holding elections in Haiti’s current state will be tricky. Mr. Henry dismissed a plan, the Montana Agreement, proposed by a group of respected civil society figures. It proposes a two-year transition period with an interim president and prime minister before calling any new elections.
Robert Maguire of George Washington University in Washington said the Biden administration was slow to move. Its main concern is the ever-increasing number of immigrants. From September last year to August this year, about 50,000 people were arrested in the United States, which is 12 times that of the same period two years ago. The government sided with Mr Henry, largely ignoring supporters of the Montana deal and failing to appoint a special envoy to Haiti. “Those in power involved in massive human rights violations … are interlocutors of the international community,” said Haitian human rights lawyer Rosy Auguste Ducena.
American attitudes began to shift. Earlier this month, the U.S. sent a Coast Guard ship to patrol Haitian waters (although it was unclear what it would do other than stop migrants). On October 15, the United States and Canada delivered armored vehicles to Haitian police. The Biden administration also said it would increase training and equipping Haitian police officers and block visas to Haitian officials and people involved in funding or supporting gangs.
exist United Nations, China or Russia may veto these proposals. Not all Haitians are keen on it. The group behind the Montana Accords opposed foreign troops. Some Haitians took to the streets to protest the idea. However, amid the confusion and desperation, many felt that some form of armed intervention was warranted. Without it, dire conditions could worsen. ■
