USA-HAITI

Statement from the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince on the Recent Civil Unrest in Haiti

U.S. Mission Haiti

The right to gather and protest is fundamental in any democracy. However, the United States strongly condemns the acts of violence, looting, and destruction that have recently occurred in Haiti and those who instigated these events for their own ends. We call on Haitians to express their views in a peaceful manner that respects humanitarian actors and law enforcement and allows unfettered access to Haitians in need in order to provide food, water, and medical care.

Since December, international partners and organizations have mobilized more than $294 million in new commitments for Haiti; however, additional support is urgently needed, including contributions to the UN Security Basket Fund recently established by Canada.

We continue to encourage Haitian interlocutors to reach agreement on an inclusive political accord that will allow elections to take place as soon as conditions permit. Haitians throughout the country and across the social spectrum need to create the conditions that will allow a democratically elected government to take office as soon as possible.

The United States remains a steadfast partner to Haiti and we remain committed to supporting the Haitian people during this challenging time.

By | 18 September, 2022 | Topics: Press Releases

New York Public Official Dreams of Being President of Haiti: Jude Elie Wants to Rebuild His Long-Suffering Country

September 17, 2022July 6, 2022 by americanpost

After years on the executive desks of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the MTA, civil engineer Jude Elie The 51-year-old, dreams of being president of Haiti, his native country, the most troubled in the Western Hemisphere.

He is not scared by the immense challenges on the Caribbean island plagued by extreme poverty, poor health, illiteracy, weak institutions, fragile communication and road infrastructure, natural disasters, corruption, and the assassination of Jovenel Moïse exactly one year ago. Weeks later, Elie was in Port-au-Prince and felt firsthand the devastating earthquake of August 14, another constant in Haiti.

In that political and humanitarian crisis of the summer of 2021, Elie said he felt more inspired to join the presidential race. However, even today, there is no clear date for new elections. “The fact that no election date has been set for almost a year shows how sick, disorganized and corrupt my country is. The sooner, the better to finally give power to the people.”

According to his biography, one of his goals is to bring the diaspora from all areas of the world back” to rebuild Haiti together, enjoy freedom and prosperity.”

Like many, he emigrated due to economic pressures, but Elie is from the outset a Haitian well above the average of his compatriots: his family background allowed him to graduate from the second oldest engineering school in the US (New York University Tandon School of Engineering), with a Master of Science, after studying at Université GOC Haiti.

“The corruption of the so-called political elite generates violence, extreme poverty, murders. I could not say that Haiti is a “Banana Republic” because I do not want to insult the banana growers…”

Jude Elie, candidate for the presidency of Haitinone

He has also specialized as an engineer at Florida Atlantic University, State University of New York (SUNY), and Political Science at the famed Sorbonne University in Paris. In the labor market, he has years as a public executive in New York, between NYCHA, NY Department of Transportation, NYC Transit, and Long Island Railroad/MTA.

-How could that experience be useful in Haiti, being so different from New York? -The people and my country are suffering. The corruption of the so-called political elite generates violence, extreme poverty, and murders. I couldn’t say Haiti is a “Banana Republic” because I don’t want to insult the banana growers. Only honesty, real democracy, transparency, and international support can save my beloved country. I can do it through my studies, work experience, and international relations. I am truly pleased with my varied experiences at NYCHA and New York’s transportation systems. Thanks to these experiences, I will be able to completely modernize Haiti’s transportation so that people can travel safely and comfortably. From NYCHA, I will bring New York’s knowledge and care for its people to build back a better Haiti and provide adequate housing for all.

-Haiti has a long history of instability and tragedy. What would a different president make of you? Do you have specific solutions for the main problems of the country? -Restore law and order. End of corruption, more security, a strong royal state, and a decent economy. No more gangs, a strong and non-corrupt police and army.

-He has lived abroad for many years. How would he respond to those who say he is not connected to the difficult daily life in Haiti? -Haiti is my mother. I am a son of Haiti. My heart was always in Haiti. Now I live there and feel the incredible pain of the people. I will help Haiti to be radiant again. My experience and relative success will help people. I currently live between Haiti, New York, Florida, Los Angeles, and Canada, looking for opportunities for my country. My base is Haiti.

-How to reverse the high rate of emigration from Haiti? -The answer is obvious: making a more prosperous country where people finally have a good life. They deserve it. It is also to generate massive employment and create a body of young people to be involved in their country’s development. We must take full advantage of all new and advanced technologies and implement them in Haiti.

-You have lived in New York, where Dominicans are a large community. But the Dominican Republic has had a dramatic history against Haiti, its only border neighbor. How to improve that? -Haiti imports $2.4 billion in goods yearly from the Dominican Republic. There is a close symbiosis between the two countries. We are meant to live and grow together. The sooner we put aside past differences and negotiate a win-win modus vivendi, the better for everyone involved. We share the same island. We will be brothers again if Haiti is finally a democracy without corruption.

– Do you think the US and the former colonizer France would support you as president of Haiti? -I’m a Haitian. I am inspired by the independence gained by Toussaint Louverture, a great Haitian whom I venerate. I am free from any foreign country, and my motto is “Haiti first!” However, the United States can help us economically due to its power and proximity. France has long-standing cultural relations with Haiti. Let’s develop it for the good of Haitian society. Let’s make Haiti strong.

As Haiti descends into chaos, Dominican president brings concerns to Washington

Odelyn Joseph
September 14, 2022 8:50 AM

Haitians make their way around burning tires during a protest to demand that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down. It happened in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022. AP

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader is in Washington this week and he has one issue that is top of mind — Haiti.

The two countries share the island of Hispaniola and ever since last July’s

assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, Abinader has been on a mission to get  the United States and others in the international community to do more to address Haiti’s ongoing multidimensional crisis. This includes taking concrete measures to curb migration and supporting a multinational strike force to go in and tackle Haiti’s kidnapping gangs.

Sources familiar with the president’s visit to the Organization of American States on Thursday won’t say much other than he plans to discuss the need for more regional involvement before the hemispheric body. His visit comes ahead of an appearance on Sept. 22 before the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to go on the offensive and demand a regional solution to Haiti’s potentially explosive social, economic and political crises.

Haiti’s deepening political instability and gang orchestrated violence, Abinader and his representatives have argued before the OAS and UN, present “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the Dominican Republic’s national security, foreign policy and its economy.”

Despite this, the Dominican Republic has struggled to win support on the international stage for an outside force to go into Haiti and help stabilize the country. In June, the country’s representative to the United Nations called on the UN Security Council to support another U.N.

Instead, members voted unanimously on to extend the mandate of the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti. The resolution was drafted by the United States and Mexico, and included a compromise proposed by China to address the illegal sale of arms and munitions to Haitian gangs.

But the agreement doesn’t’ go far enough for the Dominican Republic, which wants a more robust security security plan to address the gang violence and instability.

Last week, Abinader listed the names of a dozen prominent Haitian gang leaders who are not allowed to enter his territory. He also added to the list Haiti’s former foreign minister and interim prime minister, Claude Joseph. The communique warning Dominican immigration officials not to allow Joseph into the country did not explain the reasons for the ban. Dominican officials contacted by the Miami Herald have declined to elaborate.

Joseph, who was prime minister at the time of Moise’s shocking assassination, did not respond to a Herald inquiry about the listing.

The appearance by Abinader at the OAS on Thursday comes as Haiti descends further into chaos An increasing scarcity of fuel, devaluation of the local currency, the gourdes, coupled with higher food prices, a lack of U.S. dollars and an announced price hike on gas, propane and diesel have all helped intensify anti-government tensions this week.

On Tuesday the French Embassy announced it was closing its doors until further notice. Later that evening, Spain’s embassy also announced that given the demonstrations in Port-au-Prince its embassy will remain closed on Wednesday.

In June, the Dominican’s representative to the United Nations, Ambassador José Blanco Conde, told the United Nations Council meeting a new peacekeeping mission was needed for Haiti. Then, last month as Haiti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Victor Généus, laid out the challenges being faced by interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry during a special session of the OAS, the Dominican Republic responded that what the world was watching a “terrible spiral of violent chaos.”

“Kidnappings, massacres, murders, and the control imposed by armed gangs on some territories,” Josué Fiallo, the Dominican Republic’s representative to the OAS, said, adding “the progressive deterioration and instability afflicting Haiti undermine the dignity of all its people, regional security and the shared values of solidarity and cooperation.”

He acknowledged the historical tensions between the two countries, including a 1937 massacre of thousands of Haitians and dark-skinned Dominicans, ongoing deportations and the retroactive stripping of citizenship from anyone born after 1929 who doesn’t have one parent of Dominican blood. Nonetheless, Fiallo said, “we want to be optimistic and see this crisis as an opportunity to move forward.”

“It is urgent to collaborate with your government to restore security, stabilize Haiti, address the humanitarian crisis, promote democracy, and demonstrate commitment to all the values of this organization.” he said. “If no action is taken, the multidimensional crisis will deepen.”

The intervention at the OAS comes after Secretary General Luis Almagro accused the international community of abandoning Haiti and being responsible for its ongoing crises due to decisions taken over the past 20 years.

In a follow-up meeting requested by Haiti, representatives of several countries in the hemisphere disagreed with the assessment and defended their support over decades. Canada’s representative, Hugh Adsett, specifically took issue with Almagro’s criticism and told him he should be more of a mediator than a critic where Haiti is concerned.