CARICOM issues statement on Haiti
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Tuesday says it has noted efforts being made by various groups in Haiti to negotiate a political accord since 2021 to contribute to resolving the protracted political stalemate
In a brief statement, the 15-member regional integration grouping of which Haiti is a member, said the efforts include the latest agreement that was made public by Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry on December 21, last year.
“CARICOM urges all stakeholders to come together in their search for a consensus agreement. The Community remains willing and ready to assist in achieving this goal and in that regard had commenced sounding Haitian stakeholders over the past few weeks about their willingness to attend a meeting in a CARICOM country,” CARICOM said in its statement.
In October last year, Henry asked for a foreign security force to help re-establish control and enable humanitarian aid deliveries; many Haitian civil society groups oppose this request, and no country has offered to lead such a force.
A political standoff between Prime Minister Henry’s government and rival political and civil society leaders, many of whom have backed a proposal, the Montana Accord, to form a transitional government, has prevented the country from scheduling elections to replace officials whose terms have expired.
Haiti lacks an elected president, legislature, and mayors following the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Last December, a senior United Nations official told the UN Security Council that Haiti is facing the worst human rights and humanitarian emergency in decades, stressing the urgent need for international support and solidarity to address its multifaceted crises.
