- CARICOM MEETING JAMAICA
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that the US would give $100 million to a UN-backed multinational security force to help Haitian police fight gangs and $33 million in humanitarian aid.
A $300 million U.S. contribution to the force is planned. A U.N. spokeswoman said Monday that less than $11 million had been paid into the trust fund since March 3, when Haiti declared a state of emergency due to gang violence aiming to overthrow the government.
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Blinken, on a rushed visit to Kingston, called this a “critical moment” for Haiti and hoped “progress will be made.”
U.S. officials have been meeting with CARICOM states and Haiti’s political parties, commercial sector, civil society, and religious groups to construct a transitional council to prepare for the first elections since 2016.
Haiti announced a state of emergency early this month after Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, a leader of an alliance of armed organisations, said they would unite and replace Haiti’s unelected Prime Minister, Ariel Henry. Clashes destroyed communications and resulted to two prison breakouts
A State Department official said Henry, who took leadership when Haiti’s last president was assassinated in 2021 but is now abroad, was in virtual talks with CARICOM on Monday. His political friends were also in Kingston for in-person negotiations, the official said.
Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley claimed Haitian “stakeholders” had mostly agreed to swiftly install a presidential council to choose a prime minister and form a government.
Mottley told a news conference that a provisional electoral council should exclude future election participants.
The UN estimates that over 362,000 Haitians, half of them are children, have been internally displaced and many have been killed in the violence, with widespread claims of rape, torture, and ransom kidnappings since 2021.
The State Department is accelerating the deployment of a multinational security team led by Kenya to restore security in Haiti, according to spokesperson Matthew Miller.
Countries have been sluggish to embrace the global force, with some questioning Henry’s unelected administration amid huge demonstrations.
After U.N. missions left Haiti with cholera and sex abuse crises that were never addressed, many Haitians and foreigners are distrustful of international initiatives.
Global Guardian intelligence director Mike Ballard claimed gangs would control humanitarian aid if they seized over ports and airports and Kenyan forces would fail to police or maintain calm.
He said “Countries with actual stakes in the region will need to step up and help shore up security,” referring to the US, Dominican Republic, and CARICOM.
