In an op-ed piece that appeared in the Washington Post this past weekend, the former Ambassador to Haiti, Pamela A. White from 2012 through 2015, asserted that evil is flourishing in the country while the US have been doing very little about it. The article painted a stark picture of the situation on the ground, which cannot be refuted by any honest and objective observer. Children recovering from gunshot wounds lying on cardboard beds, nearly 20,000 people facing imminent starvation with an additional 2.9 million suffering acute malnutrition is the daily lot of the people in the country, rival gangs kill husbands in front of wives and rape mothers in front of their children, cholera is raging and babies are dying, streets are war zones. Yet there is no sense of urgency by media or politicians in the US that their close neighbor is suffering unbearable hardship. Ms. White concerned that the media is not reporting on the atrocities being visited on the ordinary citizens in order to shake the conscience of the nation to move politicians into action.  The former ambassador who was also a USAID junior officer in the country from 1985 to 1991 proposed sending 2,000-armed law enforcement personnel to protect the people attempting to deliver aid in the country, adding that they should be sent a of couple hundred at a time, over six months, with little fanfare.

While the ambassador and others are calling for foreign intervention as the way to move the country out of its various crises, members of the Montana Accord do not see any move forward unless the current head of government resigns. According to Ginette Chérubin, of the Montana Accord Monitoring Office (BSA), negotiation with Ariel Henry should revolve around his departure because he has committed treason by demanding the occupation of the country. Ms Chérubin sees the only way to have any dialogue with the Prime Minister is to decide on his departure because they cannot talk about dialogue and negotiations with someone who had committed a crime against the country. The BSA knows that the Prime Minister is not in control of affairs because he is been directed by some other forces, adding that these forces should let him go to allow the ordinary Haitians to breathe freely. Dialogue is very important for the BSA and the group is in constant contact with the diaspora to support their efforts to oppose another occupation, and to help them determine the type of help needed. Ms. Chérubin concluded the group is apolitical and their objective is not to simply oust Ariel Henry nor put a transitional government in place but rather become a much bigger player in the political arena by identifying those who will serve in the transitional government; credible people who inspire confidence so that elections can be organized. The group further said it remains open to dialogue and wants to swell its ranks to constitute a force of society which may have its say in the Core Group.

At the CARICOM summit being held in Barbados, Cuban President Diaz-Canel reiterated his country’s support for Haiti and their commitment to stability and peace in the country. Mr. Diaz-Canel bemoans the historical suffering of the people who at various times throughout history have faced particularly complex situations. He added “In the name of Cuba, which is in favor of stability and peace in Haiti and which defends the rights of its people to find a peaceful solution through dialogue to their enormous challenges, we express here today the will to continue to reach out to our sister nation.” The regional organization also noted that CARICOM Heads of Government call on all stakeholders in Haiti to urgently unite at this critical moment in the country’s history to end the political impasse. The organization includes Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent -and-the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The summit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, which had just gained independence from the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Canada has imposed sanctions on business elite it deemed complicit in the funding of the gang mayhem in the country.  Three (3) prominent members of the country’s business elite Gilbert Bigio, Reynol Deeb and Sherif Abdallah have been added to the list of Haitians suspected of using their status as highly visible members of the society to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, through money laundering and other acts of corruption. The Canadian government will freeze any assets they may hold in Canada. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mélanie Joly, called on the international community to follow suit in adopting the sanctions as the county plays a leading role in sanctioning members of the elite in order to prevent them from supporting gangs that commit acts of violence against the Haitian people. Canada asks the international community to follow its example and impose sanctions on gangs and their supporters to help the people of Haiti out of this crisis and restore peace and security in their country. Furthermore, the Canadian government argues that the sanctions imposed are intended to put pressure on those responsible for the current violence and instability in the country, to stop providing funds and weapons to the criminals. They are also encouraging all stakeholders to support real progress towards a political agreement that will lead to an inclusive and constructive dialogue, and an end to the current crisis. To date, the Canadian government has adopted sanctions against Joseph Lambert, Youri Latortue, Jimmy Chérizier, Gary Bodeau, Rony Célestin, Hervé Fourcand, Michel Martelly, Jean Henry Céant, Laurent Lamothe, Gilbert Bigio, Reynol Deeb and Sherif Abdallah.

Finally, the Biden Administration has expanded the TPS program to cover some 100,000 Haitian immigrants living in the US, and also extending the expiration date to take into consideration the socio-economic turmoil facing the country. According to the program, Haitian immigrants currently living in the US without proper documents can apply for the temporary protective status (TPS) to be able to live and work in the country without fear of deportation. The program which was expected to expire on February 4, 2023 is now extended to August 3, 2024, and while previously only those Haitians who arrived in the US prior to July 29, 2021 were allowed to apply, the cutoff date has been pushed to November 6, 2022. On November 22, 2022, 423 human rights organization both in Haiti and US wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, Alejandro Majorkas and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to ask for an extension for TPS. Other US lawmakers also wrote similar letters to the Secretary of State on behalf of Haiti. But US officials stressed that Haitians thinking of coming to the U.S. illegally should not do so, as they would not qualify for the program and could face deportation.