EPA Gang violence in Haiti has flared up in recent weeks
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 21:14
Kenya has decided not to send a police force to Haiti for the time being to lead an international security mission. The reason is the announced resignation of Haitian Prime Minister Henry.
Henry said he would resign after consultations with Caribbean leaders and US Secretary of State Blinken. Once a transitional council is in place and a new interim prime minister is chosen, Henry will leave. Elections should follow.
According to Kenyan authorities, sending a police force requires an authority in Haiti that has constitutional authority. Various armed gangs are currently in control of the country and Prime Minister Henry is not entering the country.
Henry came to power in 2021 after President Moïse was shot dead. He was not elected and recently promised to hold elections halfway through next year. According to the two main gangs, that takes too long. They threatened civil war if Henry did not abdicate.
International force
In October last year, the UN Security Council agreed to Henry’s request to send an international force to Haiti to restore order in the country.
The mission would be led by Kenya, which promised to send a thousand police officers. Other countries, including the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and Benin, also want to send soldiers and police to Haiti. The United States committed to supporting the mission with approximately $100 million in material and logistical support.
However, a Kenyan court ruled early this year that sending a police force to Haiti is unconstitutional. Kenyan President Ruto went ahead with the plans anyway.
Escalation
The situation in Haiti escalated late last month when Henry was visiting Kenya to broker a deal on the UN mission. The gang violence that has plagued Haiti for years spiraled even further out of control in his absence.
Armed gangs stormed the country’s largest prison, causing thousands of prisoners to escape. Powerful gang leader Jimmy Chérizier, also known as ‘Barbecue’, threatened to imprison ministers and a key police chief. He also said he wanted to prevent Henry from returning to Haiti. The government then declared a state of emergency.
Most of the capital Port-au-Prince is in the hands of the gangs. Large parts of the country are at a standstill.
Hundreds of families have now fled. Some tried to seek refuge in the Dominican Republic, but that country keeps its border closed. Prime Minister Henry is also unable to enter the country: he had to flee and eventually turned up in Puerto Rico.
The problems in Haiti stem from the country’s colonial past. In the video below we explain how things are going wrong in the country:
2024-03-12 20:14:29
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