Caribbean Leaders Rule Out Sending Troops to Haiti
Caribbean leaders attending an annual trade bloc meeting say they will not send a force to Haiti to help stop worsening gang violence in that country.
The spiraling violence in Haiti has been a key topic at the 15-member CARICOM meeting in the Bahamas with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry asking for an international military intervention to stop the gang attacks in his country.
When asked by VOA's Creole Service about possible troop involvement in Haiti, Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said, "No, we are not sending troops. That much I can answer."
In October, Haiti requested help from the United Nations Security Council and has suggested the U.S. and Canada lead a force. No such intervention has come together, and neither country has offered to take the lead.
The prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, said Friday that CARICOM was working on a project for strengthening the Haitian police and security.
He told VOA's Creole Service that a working group set up to help resolve the crisis in Haiti would expand to include political actors there who signed a December accord. That agreement aims to pave the way for new elections in Haiti and the establishment of a transitional council.
Gonsalves said the effort would help Haiti move toward both a political and a security solution.
"Let them work in tandem," he said.
Also Friday, Haiti's prime minister welcomed action by the United States and Canada to sanction Haitian individuals believed to be connected to the gang violence.
Henry also said that Haiti sanctioned two more Haitian politicians with alleged ties to the gangs.
Haiti has seen a surge in killings, rapes and kidnappings blamed on gangs emboldened since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.
At the opening meeting Wednesday, CARICOM Secretary-General Carla Barnett reiterated the preference for finding a Haiti-led solution to the country's challenges.
"Even as progress is being made on some fronts, CARICOM and indeed the wider international community continue to struggle to help Haiti resolve its multifaceted crises," Barnett said. "We will continue our efforts to assist all stakeholders in Haiti to ensure a Haitian-owned resolution to the crises."
Barnett said the region's leaders "will have to show the resilience and fortitude of the Haitian people" in resolving regional challenges and improving the lives of people in the Caribbean community. She added that the goal is creating a "safe, sustainable, prosperous and viable community for all."
In addition to leaders from CARICOM's 15 member states, representatives from other nations, including Canada and the United States, are participating in the meeting.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday that Canada would send navy vessels to Haiti for intelligence-gathering as part of efforts to mitigate the gang violence.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.
Haiti PM at crisis talks in Jamaica 'to listen'
The Gleaner - Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry says he is attending crisis talks in Jamaica 'to listen' and help determine how the country can rebuild from the latest rounds of political and economic turmoil.
"We did not come here to negotiate for another agreement. We are here to listen... talk about... the next steps we have to take to rebuild our democracy," Henry said Sunday morning at the Liberty Hall at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in downtown Kingston.
Henry noted that agreements have struck in the past and acknowledged that critics may also point to previous consultations involving political and civil society stakeholders.
The three-day consultation involves representatives from various groups in the French-speaking CARICOM country of more than 12 million people. It is being facilitated by CARICOM's Eminent Persons Group - Bruce Golding (Jamaica), Perry Christie (Bahamas) and Dr Kenny Anthony (St Lucia) - all former prime ministers.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Golding said he hopes the Haitian representatives will see Jamaica as a "comfortable space in which to wrestle" with the challenges confronting their society.
"Yes, the discussions will most likely be contentious at times. Yes, ideas will be put forward that will attract criticism and objection. Yes, each of you must have the opportunity to put forward your positions firmly. We ask only that it be done respectfully, with a willingness not just to listen to contending views but to consider their merits before brushing them aside," he said.
CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett said the meeting "will enable the dialogue necessary to develop a roadmap towards a Haitian-led solution". She continued: "Let it be very clear Haiti is important to CARICOM. Haiti is our single largest member state; Haiti is the first free Black republic in the world, the first independent state in the Caribbean and the second independent state in the Western Hemisphere."
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who has been leading CARICOM's response to the Haitian situation, said Jamaica is "honoured" to host the parties "at a time when dialogue, at the highest possible level, is essential, necessary and critical to achieving consensus".
"We recognise the importance of making every effort to find solutions," he added. These latest consultations are resulting from a CARICOM delegation Holness led to Haiti in February for high-level talks with government officials and members of civil society.
During a visit to Jamaica last month, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that Jamaica was the first country to have expressed a willingness to be part of an international police force to quell the bloodletting in the State that is torn by gang warfare and political upheavals. But he said there has been a reluctance on the part of the countries that have a stronger capacity to be able to lead this kind of operation.
Guterres said the reluctance by the international community to intervene can only be addressed by putting in place a political process that is credible. That is why the Jamaican initiative is so important, he said.
Powerful gangs have been infiltrating once peaceful communities in the Haitian capital and beyond, with experts estimating that they control more about 60 per cent of the capital Port-au-Prince.
They have pillaged neighbourhoods, raped adults and children and kidnapped hundreds of victims ranging from US missionaries to a hot dog street vendor in a bid to control more territory, with violence worsening since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Haiti has failed to hold elections since Moïse's murder and Henry assumed power shortly after, promising that his administration would do so.
In early January, the terms of the remaining 10 senators expired, leaving no elected officials in place.
Caribbean leaders have also complained about a surge in migrants that they say is straining the budgets of small islands struggling with the influx of hundreds of Haitians.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and among the poorest countries in the world. Recent flooding and an earthquake have exacerbated problems.
-The Associated Press and Ainsworth Morris contributed to this report.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at
STATEMENT FROM THE MEETING OF THE CARICOM EMINENT PERSONS GROUP WITH HAITIAN STAKEHOLDERS IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA
A wide cross-section of Haitian stakeholders, a microcosm of Haitian society, met in Kingston, Jamaica, at the invitation of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 11-13 June 2023. Stakeholders welcomed the inclusive nature of the meeting.
The meeting sought to facilitate inclusive dialogue among Haitian stakeholders in an effort to find a solution to the protracted multi-dimensional crisis in which the country has been mired.
Stakeholders addressed the core issues of the interim governance measures needed to restore confidence in the transition and to ensure that the government could deliver its commitments. These commitments include the critical issue of security and stability; the organisation of credible general elections to choose a legitimate and representative government; constitutional reform; and the pursuance of fundamental reforms required to preclude a repeat of the current crisis.
Stakeholders widely expressed that there was a need to build confidence and trust in the interim administration in order to effectively address the security crisis and for preparations for elections to commence. In this regard, there was widespread stakeholder support for modification of the structures of government in the interim period.
The Interim Prime Minister, Dr Ariel Henry, committed to greater inclusiveness in governance through the establishment of a government of national unity, beginning with working with the partners of the December 21 Accord to increase the number of members of the High Transition Council (HCT) in order to include representatives of a wider group of stakeholders. In this regard, the Prime Minister made a statement to the meeting, which is attached.
Several other suggestions were made of mechanisms reflecting the spirit and intent of the Haitian constitution by implementing a governance structure based on a presidency and a prime minister. Additionally, this structure should adhere to the constitutional requirement that a minimum of 30 percent of decision-making positions be held by women.
The Eminent Persons Group was urged to continue to use CARICOM’s Good Offices to work with all stakeholders to find a definitive solution to the crisis.
The Eminent Persons Group committed to go to Haiti to continue these consultations within the next several weeks.
CARICOM reiterated its commitment to provide support for the elections including assessment of preparations for and observation of the elections.
Participants thanked CARICOM for initiating this meeting. They also expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and People of Jamaica for their warm hospitality and committed to continuing the dialogue as the CARICOM Good Offices process progresses.