American Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti, Officials Say
Published Oct. 16, 2021Updated Oct. 17, 2021
A neighborhood in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. By some estimates, gangs now control roughly half of the city. Victor Moriyama for The New York Times
As many as 17 Christian missionaries from the United States and their family members, including children, were kidnapped on Saturday by a gang in Port-au-Prince as they were leaving an orphanage, according to Haitian security officials.
Details of the kidnapping remained unclear, but local officials said the missionaries were abducted from a bus headed to the airport to drop off some members of the group before continuing to another destination in Haiti.
Haiti has been in a state of political upheaval for years, and kidnappings of the rich and poor alike are alarmingly common. But even in a country accustomed to widespread lawlessness, the abduction of such a large group of Americans shocked officials for its brazenness.
Violence is surging across the capital, Port-au-Prince. By some estimates, gangs now control roughly half of the city. On Monday, gangs shot at a school bus in Port-au-Prince, injuring at least five people, including students, while another public bus was hijacked by a gang as well.
Security has broken down as the country’s politics have disintegrated. Demonstrators furious at widespread corruption demanded the ouster of President Jovenel Moïse two years ago, effectively paralyzing the country. The standoff prevented the sick from getting treatment in hospitals, children from attending school, workers from going to the rare jobs available and even stopped electricity from flowing in parts of the country.
Since then, gangs have become only more assertive. They operate at will, kidnapping children on their way to school and pastors in the middle of delivering their services.
The nation’s political turmoil intensified further after Mr. Moïse was assassinatedin his home in July, a killing that remains unsolved. The few remaining officials in the country soon began fighting for control of the government, and the factionalism has continued for months, with officials accusing one another of taking part in the conspiracy to kill the president.
The kidnapping of the American missionaries happened only a day after the United Nations Security Council extended its mission in Haiti by nine months in a unanimous vote on Friday. Many Haitians have been calling for the United States to send troops to stabilize the situation, but the Biden administration has been reluctant to commit boots on the ground.
A State Department spokesman had no comment on the abductions in Haiti on Saturday night.
Parts of the Haitian capital, including where the kidnappings occurred, are so dangerous that many residents have fled, leaving once-bustling streets nearly abandoned. Many of the streets have been surrendered to the gangs, with few pedestrians venturing out even during the day.
Gangs have kidnapped even poor street vendors, and when they find little to nothing in their wallets, gang members sometimes demand that they sell off items in their homes, like radios and refrigerators. Earlier this year, a classroom of students got together to raise money to pay the ransom of a fellow student.
Haiti - UN : The mandate of BINUH renewed but reduced by China
16/10/2021 10:49:45
Friday, October 15, 2021 at midnight the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) expired and was to be renewed by the UN Security Council.The United States, which generally manages the Haitian file at the United Nations, has proposed a one-year renewal, but the adoption of a resolution to this effect did not go as planned, due to complications Thursday in the negotiations with China.From a diplomatic source, during these closed-door negotiations, the Chinese were very critical affirming that the UN had done nothing in Haiti, deplores "investments at a loss" during all these years with the money of the great powers, especially from China. Beijing called for a renewal of the UN mandate for only 6 months, leaving the possibility of China using its veto on the one-year renewal proposed by the US. Other aspect that may justify the position of China but not mentioned publicly, is the recognition of Taiwan by HaitiFinally on Friday around 6:00 p.m., a compomis was found, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2600 (2021), presented by Mexico and the United States extending the mandate of BINUH until July 15 2022 (9 months) and asked the Secretary General to assess his tenure after 6 monthsIn this text, the Council encouraged close collaboration and coordination between the Office, the United Nations country team in Haiti, regional organizations and international financial institutions with a view to assisting the Government in assuming the responsibility of achieving long-term stability of the country, sustainable development and economic self-sufficiency.United States Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield to the United Nations "Now is not the time for the Security Council to walk away from Haiti,” but rather to ensure that Haiti gets the assistance and support it needs alongside Haitian-led efforts to address its long-standing challenges."Mexican Ambassador to the UN Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez said that "The mandate renewal will give certainty to the Office and enable Member States to assess the Secretary-General’s conclusions with a view to making, in due course, the necessary changes to make the Office’s mandate more effective."For his part, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun to the UN declared "it behoves the international community to give Haiti more tailored support. Haiti’s leaders must halt their power struggles, shoulder their responsibilities, take the country out of chaos and put it on the path of orderly development. The renewal of the Office’s mandate is an opportunity to discuss how to help Haiti more effectively [...]" adding "thanks to the joint efforts of China, the Russian Federation and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, substantial improvements to the draft were achieved. Working from the Secretary-General’s review, the Council will be able to update the Office’s mandate in light of changing circumstances to better help the Haitian people" recalling "Haiti cannot achieve stability without self-reliance."HL/ HaitiLibre
US Embassy – Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya in visit
PRESS RELEASE
Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy,
and Human Rights Uzra Zeya Visits Haiti October 12–13On October 12-13, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya traveled to Haiti in her first official visit as Under Secretary of State to underscore the United States’ commitment to the people of Haiti and supporting Haitian-led solutions to challenges facing the country. Under Secretary Zeya was accompanied by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James Walsh from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.During the visit, Under Secretary Zeya met with Prime Minister Ariel Henry to discuss the safe and humane repatriation of Haitians, the importance of inclusive dialogue with civil society and political actors leading to free and fair elections, COVID-19 prevention, and accountability for President Moïse’s assassination. She also met with key stakeholders from the government, civil society, and non-governmental organizations including representatives from the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), the Organization of American States, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UNICEF to discuss actions that will increase security, combat corruption, and strengthen democratic governance.Civil society representatives, the National Committee for the Fight Against Human Trafficking, and other interlocutors provided invaluable perspectives on how the United States could forge a path forward to Haitian-led consensus agreement leading to free and fair elections as soon as technically feasible, in respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and support Haitian efforts to combat trafficking in persons.Under Secretary Zeya met with Acting Director General for the Haitian National Police Leon Charles at the Haitian National Police Academy underscoring the United States commitment to assisting Haiti strengthen its capacity to provide security for all people in Haiti. She also met with Minister of Interior and Acting Minister of Justice Liszt Quitel and highlighted the United States’ recent commitment of an additional $15 million to help reduce gang violence and improve corrections infrastructure.The United States is committed to supporting Haitian-led solutions to increasing security for all people in Haiti, ensuring accountability for human rights violations, restoring democratic institutions through free and fair elections, and supporting the Haitian government in receiving Haitian returnees. The United States is a steadfast partner to Haiti, and the Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to supporting the Haitian people during this challenging time.
Food insecurity
Nearly a million people are at risk of starving to death this winter in Haiti, according to a September 9 estimate of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In the south of Haiti, at the epicentre of the August 14 earthquake, 980,000 people are expected to suffer from severe food insecurity between September and February 2022, including 320,000 during the current emergency phase.
The FAO is trying to raise US$20 million as part of a rescue effort. This money will help rebuild damaged infrastructure including irrigation canals, fruit processing factories, dairies, fish outlets, distribution of seeds, agricultural equipment and livestock, before the start of the next agricultural season in October.
In the other departments of North, Centre and West Haiti, the situation is no different. International and national agencies had already issued food shortage alerts since last year.
According to the June 2021 report of the World Food Program (WFP), the country has one of the highest levels of chronic food insecurity in the world with more than half of its total population chronically food insecure and 22% of children chronically malnourished. Underlying drivers of this situation include extreme poverty and frequent natural disasters.
On the 2020 Climate Risk Index, Haiti is also third among the countries most affected by severe weather events.
On February 26, five memoranda of understanding were signed to strengthen resilience and improve the food and nutritional security of the Haitian population. These include projects that will be financed by FAO’s own funds in the amount of US$2.15 million within the framework of the activities of its Technical Cooperation Program.
FAO representative José Luis Fernández, declared at the time that “the problem of hunger and food insecurity constitutes a major challenge that the Government and development actors must face.” He also pointed out that extreme weather events, socio-political unrest and structural weaknesses have contributed to the deterioration of the livelihoods of the most vulnerable.
A document published by the FEWS (Famine Early Warning System Network) on the situation in Haiti, noted that the exchange rate against the US$ has appreciated considerably since December 2020 reaching around 75 gourdes per US$ on the formal market and up to 95 gourdes on the informal market.
This occurred despite the injection of US$12 million in the banking sector in January.
This situation has led to an increase in the prices of both imported and local products. Food price increases also remain above the five-year average of over 40%.
Restrictive measures to fight COVID-19, including closure of the land border on both sides of the Haitian/Dominican border, have also had negative impacts on the availability of a number of food products in Haiti. These include flour, edible oil, condiments, eggs, and sugar. There have also been heavy limitations on trade between the two countries.
Food security conditions continue to suffer from the residual effects of the decapitalisation of farms, the socio-political crisis, and measures attached to the pandemic.
The new wave of COVID-19 affecting the major world economies, in particular the United States, the Dominican Republic, Chile, and Brazil, is further amplifying the economic recession in these two countries. This is already having a negative impact on the rate of flow and volume of migrant remittances to Haiti and, resultantly, the purchasing power of households.
Currently, following the earthquake in southern Haiti, the percentage of the Haitian population requiring food assistance has increased from 10% to 50%, with a concentration in the south of the country. This requires increased levels of food aid, including seeds and livestock aid.
The 7.2 August 14 earthquake followed shortly after by Tropical Storm Grace significantly affected food production and habitats in the departments of Sud, Grande Anse and Nippes.
The following impacts were recorded: 2,207 dead, 137,000 houses destroyed and significant damage to plantations in many areas, seriously affecting upcoming harvests.
Stocks have been destroyed, and trade in food products halted, in the process reducing the quantity of local products available in public markets and considerably increasing the prices of available products.
In addition, the activities of many small and micro businesses have been suspended. For example, the manufacture and sale of charcoal, small trades and other entrepreneurial activities have been seriously affected.
Additionally, public transport to certain localities where the earthquake caused landslides and cracks in the roadway, has remained a serious issue.
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