AFPUS Secretary of State Blinken (m) together with Prime Minister of Barbados Mottley (l) and Guyanese President Ali
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 02:25
In Jamaica, leaders of several Caribbean countries discussed the crisis in Haiti. US Secretary of State Blinken was also present, as were delegations from France and Brazil. The meeting was behind closed doors.
The countries involved have agreed on a plan for a political bridging period to ultimately organize the country’s first elections since 2016.
No further details about the plan have been announced.
Prime Minister Henry not present
Haitian Prime Minister Henry did not attend the meeting. He is still in Puerto Rico after failing to return to Haiti after a trip abroad. Powerful gangs want to put an end to his interim government by force. The gangs control most of the capital Port-au-Prince and have paralyzed large parts of the country.
However, the two main gang groups, which have now merged, demand that Henry leave. Otherwise, a civil war will break out, the leader warned.
Help package
According to the US State Department, Henry is taking steps to return to Haiti as soon as possible. In addition, Secretary of State Blinken announced that he would again allocate $100 million to finance an international force, led by Kenya. On top of that, another $33 million in humanitarian aid will be provided to Haiti.
Due to the crisis in the country, many Haitians are struggling with the consequences of famine. The United Nations fears that more than 11 million residents will not have enough to eat.
The gangs invaded Haiti’s two largest prisons last week, freeing more than 4,000 prisoners. The Toussaint Louverture International Airport is also in the hands of the gangs. Earlier, the Supreme Court and police stations were also attacked and there were clashes with police around the presidential palace.
A state of emergency was declared in the country at the beginning of last week.
The problems in the country have their roots in the colonial past. In this video we explain how things go wrong in Haiti:
From poverty to gang violence: what’s going wrong in Haiti?
2024-03-12 01:25:19
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