Opinion: Haiti’s ‘descent into hell’ will only accelerate without proper elections
Editorial Board
The Washington Post
June 13, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. EDT
Elections are no guarantee of democracy, let alone good governance, but one thing is indisputable: Without them, Haiti has no chance. For the past four years the country has been governed by Jovenel Moïse, an inept autocrat who has neutered parliament and independent institutions while presiding over, and likely abetting, a tableau of urban gang violence, murder, kidnapping, extortion and intimidation that has made life intolerable for millions. On top of that, a deadly new wave of covid-19 has lately swept the country, whose already rickety public health system is overwhelmed. Virtually no one has been vaccinated against the virus.
No scenario for improving Haiti’s prospects — not for good governance, nor for transitioning to order from chaos in the streets — is plausible without elections that would produce new and legitimate leadership. Mr. Moïse has paid lip service to going forward with balloting this fall, for parliament and a successor president. He has devoted far more attention to pushing a referendum, already twice postponed, to redraw the country’s constitution, a probably illegal undertaking that has only intensified already riotous domestic political discord.
A delegation from the Organization of American States has been in Haiti last week, pressing Mr. Moïse and opposition parties to move forward with elections. That message is all the more critical given specious suggestions that, in place of an actual vote, the country could make do in the meantime with some ill-defined transitional government upon the completion of Mr. Moïse’s term next February. The last time Haiti tried that, in 2016, what was meant to be a 120-day provisional administration dragged on for a year — deepening instability and confusion about the country’s future.
Much of the current anarchy is directly attributable to Mr. Moïse, who has contrived to establish what amounts to one-man misrule. In the absence of legislative elections, he has allowed Haiti’s parliament to wither into nothingness, while installing his own toadies as mayors to replace elected ones across the country. In a country of 11 million people, no legislation can be passed, because so few lawmakers remain. If Haitians do not go to the polls this fall, the terms of every single one of the few remaining elected officials will expire in February. That is a recipe for pandemonium.
There is now a real prospect of full-blown anarchy, and resulting waves of boat people fleeing to safer shores. The United States, France, the United Nations, the OAS and other influential parties must act before that happens. Mr. Moïse must go, and be replaced in free and fair elections. They will certainly not set everything right in Haiti, but without them you can bet things will get worse.
Much of the current anarchy is directly attributable to Mr. Moïse, who has contrived to establish what amounts to one-man misrule. In the absence of legislative elections, he has allowed Haiti’s parliament to wither into nothingness, while installing his own toadies as mayors to replace elected ones across the country. In a country of 11 million people, no legislation can be passed, because so few lawmakers remain. If Haitians do not go to the polls this fall, the terms of every single one of the few remaining elected officials will expire in February. That is a recipe for pandemonium.
There is now a real prospect of full-blown anarchy, and resulting waves of boat people fleeing to safer shores. The United States, France, the United Nations, the OAS and other influential parties must act before that happens. Mr. Moïse must go, and be replaced in free and fair elections. They will certainly not set everything right in Haiti, but without them you can bet things will get worse.
GUY SANSARICQ / REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS OF THE TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (June 20th, 2021) Job 38, 1 + 8-11; Psalm 197; 2 Corinthians 5, 14-17; Mark 4, 35-41 By +Guy Sansaricq.
Weathermen are precious! They predict weather changes and the movement of the winds but have no control over the wild forces of nature. The Scriptures of the day state that God is the one who exercises total control over everything. Job in the first reading uses this image skillfully.
In the Gospel excerpt, we see Jesus rebuking a threatening wind and commanding the stormy sea to quiet down. At once the wind ceased and calm was restored. Jesus is thus shown as endowed with divine power. The Apostles, witnesses of the event were filled with awe. Are we? Yes He is Lord!
It is this Jesus whom we adore. He is the one to whom we address our supplication in times of distress. We need to be reminded of these stories so that we may learn to approach his throne of mercy with greater trust. We may say that through Christ, God has visited us!
The mighty deeds of Christ have been clearly displayed! May we live with the full assurance that he is truly the Lord whose power and mercy are boundless! Let us call on him to calm down the furious winds of terrorism and violence that threaten our very existence; let us incessantly call on him to calm down our fears and anxieties in the face of the world’s uncertainties and threats. He calls us to repent and become a new creation (2nd reading). Why should we arrogantly stand in defiance of the One whom the winds and the seas obey?
WHO THEN IS THIS ONE WHOM THE WIND AND THE SEA OBEY?
PRESS RELEASE
Haiti Gang violence hinders humanitarian assistance amidst COVID-19 upsurge
Port-au-Prince, 14 June 2021 - A new wave of gang violence in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince forced nearly 8,500 women and children to flee their homes in just two weeks, UNICEF alerted today.
Since early June, new clashes between rival armed gangs have erupted in the urban areas of Martissant, Fontamara and Delmas and led to hundreds of houses being burned down or damaged.
“Every time, clashes between armed groups are more violent and every time more women and children are forced to flee their homes,” said Bruno Maes, UNICEF Haiti Representative. “Since the beginning of this year, insecurity has been escalating. But the capital city is now facing an urban guerrilla, with thousands of children and women caught in the crossfire. The displaced families I’ve talked to have lost everything and urgently need clean water, food, personal hygiene items, mattresses, blankets and clothes.”
In just two weeks, 2,045 women and 2,146 children have found refuge in the other areas of the capital city such as Carrefour and Bas Delmas. In addition, some 5,110 other displaced people including approximately 2095 women and 2,199 children are reported to be housed by host families in Carrefour or
other neighbouring areas or left to other parts of the country.
For the past nine months, escalating violence and criminal acts in the capital city of Haiti have caused the displacement of more than 13,900 people, according to the UN office in charge of humanitarian coordination (UNOCHA) with
approximately 5,695 women and 5,984 children. About 650,000 people are currently affected by displacement in Haiti, with 500,000 in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince.
A survey conducted by UNICEF in May reveals that one in five young people in Haiti believes that violence prevents children from going to school, and nearly one in two reports that fear is the main effect of violence on children.
This recent spike of violence unravels amidst the upsurge of COVID-19 cases in Haiti. From 1 April to 5 June 2021, confirmed cases have risen from 12,840 to 16,079, with a lethality rate increasing from 1.95% to 2.15%. During the same period, Haiti registered more than 27 per cent of all 346 deaths since the onset of the pandemic last year.
about 8,500 women and children displaced by ‘urban
guerrilla’ in two weeks
“COVID-19 cases in Haiti have never been so high since the beginning of the pandemic but right now, some patients are dying because armed gang violence prevents ambulances from reaching them oxygen and emergency treatment,” said Bruno Maes. “That is unacceptable. Health workers must immediately have full access to all areas to transport patients who need emergency assistance, and their lifesaving job should not be hampered by armed groups. Providing humanitarian aid to displaced women and children in shelters is not good enough. Many are still left without any humanitarian assistance in host families. Unless we regain access to areas affected by gang violence, more lives are at risk of being lost.”
Amidst growing insecurity and gang violence in the capital city, UNICEF is urgently calling on the armed groups to provide all humanitarian actors with unrestricted access to affected populations.
This upsurge of violence also erupted in the hurricanes season with fears of increased and frequent rains doubling risks of water-borne diseases and acute respiratory infections for children. Many children suffer from malnutrition in urban areas of Port-au-Prince like Martissant and Fontamara with high rates of vulnerability and limited access to basic social services.
Despite constrained humanitarian access to the area of Martissant and Fontamara, UNICEF was able to quickly distribute emergency items to the displaced women and children sheltered in a gymnasium earlier last week, including 700 hygiene kits, 700 jerry cans, 20 five-family hygiene kits, 10,000 masks, 212 mattresses and 70 plastic tarpaulins.
UNICEF is also supporting with medical items an integrated mobile health clinic to screen and treat malnutrition among displaced children and providing antenatal consultations and HIV testing to pregnant women.
For 2021, UNICEF is seeking US$48.9 million to meet the humanitarian needs of 1.5 million people in Haiti including over 700,000 children, a situation which has been significantly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, this humanitarian appeal has remained almost completely underfunded.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit https://www.unicef.org/lac/en.
USAID’s ATTEINDRE Project Will Help 11,000 Small Businesses
in the North, Central, and South Departments Create Jobs
[Port-au-Prince] – The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will help 11,000 underserved businesses in the North, Central, and South departments of Haiti access the technical support, financial services, and skilled labor they need to become profitable. To date, USAID’s ATTEINDRE project, implemented in partnership with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), has awarded grants to seven companies providing business advisory and financial services that will serve micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including single mothers and fisherfolk.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. to Haiti Nicole Theriot commented, “Small businesses in Haiti work in a challenging environment and face multiple barriers that impede their growth. Through programs like USAID’s ATTEINDRE project, the U.S. government is working to increase opportunities for Haitian entrepreneurs and help them overcome those obstacles, so they can grow their businesses and create more jobs for a secure and sustainable future.”
With USAID support, ATTEINDRE is awarding grants to leading Haitian business service providers, including STRATÈGE, Agence d’Investissement et de Développement d’Entreprises (AIDE), Centre d’Entrepreneurship et de Leadership en Haïti (CEDEL), and Centre de Formation et d’Encadrement Technique (CFET). The grants will provide qualifying MSMEs with technical assistance and training to help them expand their operations, access credit, and increase their revenues.
For example, STRATÈGE will support 2,500 MSMEs in the manioc value chain across the North, North-East, and Central departments with training on modern production techniques, as well as helping 120 MSMEs access short-term financing from local village savings and loan associations. STRATÈGE also aims to help existing informal manioc producer associations, encompassing 600 manioc producers, processors, packagers, service providers, and distributors, complete their legal registration and reinforce their capacity and governance structures. Becoming legal associations will enable them to receive bulk agricultural loans from financial institutions and then retail the loans to their members or apply for grants for agricultural projects as a single entity.
In the communes of Limonade, Caracol, Ferrier, and Perches, AIDE will offer a seven-month training program to 200 MSMEs, empowering them to create new jobs in their communities with a focus on women and youth. AIDE Executive Director Herrick Dessources explains: “Organizations cannot generate enough employment alone, and we need the private sector. Through the ATTEINDRE grant, we can reinforce businesses. This helps generate household income that improves lives and offers access to education, health, housing, and more.”
With grants from the ATTEINDRE project, CEDEL and CFET will expand their services to the central plateau, offer training and coaching, as well as help formalize MSMEs in the region. CEDEL will enlarge an existing program directed at 400 youth across Mirebalais, Hinche, Lascahobas, and Maïssade. Applications for the CEDEL program are available through a wide range of partners such as the Chamber of Commerce, universities, and various women/youth/religious groups. Prospective applicants can also stay tuned for announcements via the CEDEL Haiti Facebook page: (https://web.facebook.com/cedelhaiti).
To foster economic inclusivity in Haiti, the ATTEINDRE project is supporting Sonje Ayiti Organization (SOA), a women’s association that will provide workforce development services for 500 single mothers between the ages of 18 and 35, with at least one child in school. Training will focus on leadership, personal development, food production and processing, and other management tools that will enable women in the SOA network to grow their businesses.
USAID’s ATTEINDRE project will also help Action pour la Coopération avec la Micro Entreprise (ACME) and Konsèy Nasyonal Finansman Popilè (KNFP), both well-known micro finance institutions, to expand access to credit for MSMEs. The ATTEINDRE project will help ACME expand its new solar energy credit product to 700 rural clients in the North, South, and Central departments. KNFP will develop a credit union in Les Anglais and connect it to the village savings and loans associations of Chardonnières. Fusing together livelihoods with environmental awareness, KNFP will partner with the Haitian Ocean Project to train and certify fisherfolk on sustainable fishing practices that protect both their livelihood and the ocean.
USAID Haiti Acting Mission Director Christine Djondo noted, “Supporting local businesses is a key part of USAID’s worldwide strategy of helping partner countries drive their own economic growth. We are very excited that MSMEs in the North, Central, and South departments will now receive the essential services, training, and credit they need, through USAID support, to grow and create jobs.”