Haiti Bans Charter Flights to Nicaragua in Blow to Migrants Fleeing Poverty and Violence
Associated PressPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti —
Haiti's government has banned all charter flights to Nicaragua that migrants fleeing poverty and violence had been increasingly using in their quest to reach the United States, according to a bulletin issued Monday that The Associated Press obtained.
Haiti's government did not provide an explanation for the decision in its bulletin, which was first reported by The Miami Herald. Civil aviation authorities in Haiti did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The move left a couple of thousand angry and bewildered travelers stranded in a parking lot facing Haiti's main international airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince surrounded by their luggage, with some holding babies.
"I have to seek a better life elsewhere because Haiti doesn't offer my generation anything," said 29-year-old Jean-Marc Antoine. "It's either hold a gun and be involved with a gang, be killed or leave the country."
His brother in Chile had loaned him $4,000 for the plane ticket, and like many of the stranded passengers, he fretted about whether he would get his money back.
Nearby, Marie-Ange Solomon, 58, said she had been calling the charter company repeatedly on Monday to no avail. She had paid $7,000 total to leave Haiti with her son.
"After gathering money to get me and my son out of this fragile country, now all of a sudden they stop everything," she said. "I thought I was going to be freed today."
Thousands of Haitians were stranded at the Port-au-Prince Airport on Oct. 30, after the government banned all charter flights to Nicaragua as migrants sought to flee the poverty and violence in their country.
Solomon kept an eye on their bags as her 28-year-old son ran to the airport repeatedly in case someone called their names.
More than 260 flights departing Haiti and believed to have carried up to 31,000 migrants have landed in the Central American country of Nicaragua since early August as Haiti's crisis deepens, with gangs estimated to now control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince. The number of migrants represent nearly 60% of all U.S.-Mexico border Haitian arrivals, said Manuel Orozco, director of the migration, remittances and development program at the Inter-American Dialogue.
Experts have said that seats on charter flights to Nicaragua can range from $3,000 to $5,000, with Nicaragua a popular destination because it does not require visas for certain migrants.
"The magnitude of the flights are just completely unusual ... and it represents a security risk," Orozco said in a phone interview.
He questioned whether the suspension of the charter flights was prompted by outside pressure, adding that he did not know if the U.S. government was involved.
Orozco noted that there were no charter flights from Port-au-Prince to Nicaragua last January and that the three daily flights that began in late July had grown to 11 flights a day.
The suspension of charter flights could prompt Haitian migrants to seek other ways to flee their country, he said.
"I think Dominicans will probably at this point organize themselves or cross their fingers that there is not a cross-over," Orozco said.
The two countries share the island of Hispaniola but are now in a dispute over construction of a canal in Haiti that would divert water from a river that runs along the border. Dominican President Luis Abinader announced last month that his government would stop issuing visas to Haitians and he closed the border to all Haitians seeking to cross for work, education, medical issues or other purposes.
With another migration route popular with Haitians closing on Monday, frustration began to build among the stranded passengers.
"Can you imagine that I spent all this money? I sold everything that I had," Jean Erode Louis-Saint, 25, whose flight was scheduled for mid-afternoon Monday but he never received a boarding pass. "I cannot stay in this country because of the lack of security. Gangs are everywhere."
He used to work along the border that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic exchanging currencies but has struggled to find another job.
"I cannot do anything in Haiti anymore," he said as he stood with a backpack on his back surrounded by thousands of other passengers.
Many were reluctant to leave in case there was a sudden change in plans, but by late afternoon, the crowd began to thin out as people left.
Among them was 35-year-old Saint-Ville Etienne, a civil engineer who was hoping for a better life so he could care for the 14-year-old son he would have left behind.
"Haiti is in a state of war among its own people," he said. "I don't know why they are fighting. It's only causing everybody to leave the country."
William O'Neill, Expert on the human rights situation in Haiti, concludes his official visit
Port-au-Prince (October 31, 2023) Mesye dam bonjou (Greetings everyone). Allow me to begin by thanking the authorities for their support for my mandate, BINUH for the welcome and support they have extended to me, as well as the civil society organizations and the victims I have been able to meet.
I have just concluded my second official visit to Haiti. I continue to be alarmed by the worrying situation, which is spreading rapidly to other departments, notably Artibonite and Nord-Ouest. Murders, injuries and kidnappings are the daily lot of the population. Sexual violence against women and girls remains endemic, and no progress has been made in terms of access to services and justice for survivors since my last visit.
I am particularly concerned about the impact of insecurity and violence on children. The testimonies received are stunning. An entire generation is seemingly being sacrificed by violence, and the future of a country is threatened by the dramatic situation faced by its youth. I urge the authorities to give priority to addressing the situation of children.
Many have suffered - and continue to suffer - severe violence and violations of their rights. They are also victims of the catastrophic humanitarian situation, with access to health, water, food and education severely hampered. This is particularly the case in underprivileged neighbourhoods controlled by gangs and deserted by the State. I have received numerous reports that many children suffer from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition. Over 500,000 youths have no access to education. Many children from these neighbourhoods are recruited by gangs, for lack of opportunities, or by fear of reprisals.
The Haitian justice system remains dysfunctional and ill-equipped to protect children at risk or to judge minors in conflict with the law. The Juvenile Court is paralyzed. I visited Cermicol, the juvenile prison in Port-au-Prince, and found it alarmingly overcrowded, with an occupancy rate in excess of 350%, as well as unhygienic conditions and a lack of access to drinking water, exposing children to disease. 99% of the minors held in the prison have not been convicted, and most are in prolonged pre-trial detention. They have been incarcerated for years for stealing a chicken, shoes or a telephone, without ever having seen a judge. I was nonetheless encouraged by the setting up of an intergovernmental commission to relieve overcrowding in the prisons. We need results quickly.
I am also concerned about the situation of internally displaced people. There are at least 200,000 displaced people in Haiti. Many are living in inhumane conditions, without access to basic services, surviving in makeshift camps. I have received appalling accounts of children and elderly people sleeping on the ground, next to mounds of garbage and without access to drinking water. I also heard of women and girls are repeatedly raped, with no access to healthcare. The State must assume its responsibilities not only to prevent human rights violations and abuses, but also to protect its population, especially the most vulnerable.
I heard a strong desire for the arrival of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) among the Haitian population. The imminent deployment of this mission, under strict conditions of respect and protection of human rights, is necessary to alleviate the suffering of the population. However, it is essential that this mission anticipates and takes the measure of the current challenges if it is to succeed in its long-term objective. Many of these measures will require the population to regain confidence in its institutions.
These must be strengthened, in particular through reliable and transparent public control systems to curb corruption and impunity. In particular, the Haitian National Police (PNH) must speed up the vetting of its officers, and the judicial system must complete the certification of its magistrates. Codes of ethics must be implemented. I reiterate my encouragement for the work carried out by the Unité de Lutte contre la Corruption (ULCC) to combat the scourge of corruption.
The international sanctions regime has sent out a strong signal to dismantle the networks of corruption that plague the country. It must also be accompanied by national prosecutions to put an end to impunity. I reiterate my appeal to the international community to put an end to the illegal trafficking of arms and munitions that circulates in Haiti and continues to claim many victims every day.
A major challenge is the fact that many gang members are children. It will be necessary to implement rehabilitation and reintegration programs for the vast majority of them. According to many actors interviewed, it is essential that the State plays a key role in rebuilding the social and economic model to enable the most vulnerable to find opportunities locally and thus avoid the mass departure of populations in search of better days.
Finally, I visited the canal under construction on the Massacre River in Ouanaminthe, as well as the border with the Dominican Republic. I continue to hear reports of the disastrous impact of the border closure on access to health, water and food. I reiterate my call for dialogue and the passage of aid to protect vulnerable populations from the dramatic humanitarian impact of this measure. I would also like to pay tribute to the work of the police in Ouanaminthe and Fort Liberté, who have succeeded in bringing the situation of violence in the department under control, thanks to community and proximity policing. 32 police officers have been killed since the beginning of the year.
Ensuring the safety and protection of the population is a priority. Overcoming institutional shortcomings and strengthening the rule of law remain fundamental prerequisites for long-term change. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Mysion mwen an fini men travay la ap kontinye. Mèsi anpil (My mission ends but the work goes on. I thank you from the bottom of my heart).
National Center of Haitian Apostolate
REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS OF THE 31st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Nov. 5th, 2023)
Malachi 1; Psalm 131; 1 Thessalonians 2, 7-9; Matthew 23, 1-12
Msgr. Pierre André Pierre
Brothers and sisters,
From the Prophet Malachi to the Gospel of Matthew, and the first Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, the word of God today calls our attention to humility. The absolute opposite is pride, arrogance, and selfishness.
Everyone takes their place, the priests, the people, the scribes, and the Pharisees. The prophet reproaches the priests of his time to pervert the covenant with God. Jesus investigates the words and behavior of the Pharisees. Their function is to devote themselves to God and seek his glory, to teach the Law given to them by Moses. However, instead of thinking about the glory of God, they only seek their own interest. They make religion a business. They manipulate the Law of Moses for their own purposes. Do not follow their example. They do not work for God but for the gallery. They look for the best places. They seek honors and titles. Everything is a facade, inside full of skeletons. This is hypocrisy.
The search for power and wealth, the race for honors and privileges, are not only abuses in the time of Malachi, or in the time of Jesus. Nowadays, it may no longer be a question of phylacteries and very long fringes, but of car brands, of extravagant lifestyles, and excessive wealth, displayed in broad daylight, which become an insult to the billions of poor people on the planet. The desire to appear then becomes the goal of life. Jesus tells his disciples to stop giving themselves high-sounding titles that risk creating a misleading appearance. His authority is exclusively an authority of service and liberation: he forgives, he heals, he restores his feet, he gives a second chance, he opens a future. This allows us to move forward with joy. “ I tell you this so that your joy may be complete .” (John 15, 11) Just watch those who meet Jesus flourish: the Samaritan woman, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, the blind, the lepers...
Following in the footsteps of Jesus as his model, St. Paul expresses his love for the community of Thessalonica that he served. This very beautiful text provides us with a remarkable portrait of the true pastor: He is “ full of gentleness, like a mother with her babies ”. He is filled with “affection” for them, wanting to give them “not only the Gospel” but everything that he himself is. He toils and tires night and day so as not to be a burden to others.
Psalm 131,1 reminds us of the secret of life: "In you, Lord, I have found my peace. O LORD, my heart is not proud; nor are my eyes haughty. I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me. "
The Lord invites his disciples to embrace Humility. Yes, Truth is hidden in HUMILITY.