What's Up Little Haiti

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 22 décembre 2022

Harvard names Claudine Gay as the first Black president of university

Gay is the only Black president in the Ivy League and says the ‘ivory tower’ should not be the future of academia

On 15 December, Claudine Gay became the first African American to serve as president of Harvard University. Photograph: Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard University/AFP/Getty Images

Harvard University announced on Thursday that Claudine Gay will become its 30th president, making her the first Black person and the second woman to lead the Ivy League school.

Gay, who is currently a dean at the university and a democracy scholar, will become president on 1 July. She replaces Lawrence Bacow, who is stepping down to spend more time with family.

A child of Haitian immigrants, Gay is regarded as a leading voice on the issue of American political participation. In 2006, she joined Harvard as a professor of government and of African and African American studies and has since explored a variety of issues, including how a range of social and economic factors shape political views and voting.

Gay is also is the founding chair of Harvard’s inequality in America initiative, which studies issues like the effects of child poverty and deprivation on educational opportunity and American inequality from a global perspective.

“She is a terrific academic leader with a keen mind, great leadership and communication skills, excellent judgment, and a basic decency and kindness that will serve Harvard well,” Bacow said in a statement. “Perhaps most importantly, she commands the respect of all who know her and have worked with her.”

Penny Pritzker, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation and chair of Harvard’s presidential search committee, echoed similar sentiments, saying, “Claudine is a remarkable leader who is profoundly devoted to sustaining and enhancing Harvard’s academic excellence, to championing both the value and the values of higher education and research, to expanding opportunity, and to strengthening Harvard as a fount of ideas and a force for good in the world.”

In her acceptance speech, Gay called for greater collaboration among schools at Harvard and said there was an urgency for the university to be more engaged with the world and to “bring bold, brave and pioneering thinking to our greatest challenges”.

“The idea of the ‘ivory tower’ – that is the past, not the future of academia. We don’t exist outside of society, but as part of it,” she said. “That means that Harvard has a duty to lean in, engage and to be of service to the world.”

With Gay’s appointment, women will outnumber men as chiefs of the eight Ivy League schools. Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania appointed women earlier this year, joining Brown and Cornell. Columbia, Princeton and Yale are led by men.

Gay will be the only Black president currently in the Ivy League and the second Black woman ever, following Ruth Simmons, who led Brown University from 2001 to 2012.

Norfolk-based hospital ship USNS Comfort suspends care in Haiti after 19 fall overboard

Dec 13, 2022 at 4:15 pm

JEREMIE, Haiti — A U.S. Navy hospital ship docked in southwest Haiti has temporarily suspended medical services after 19 people with the mission fell overboard amid a heavy swell hitting the Caribbean region, officials said Tuesday.

It happened Monday night and involved 12 military personnel and seven civilians with the USNS Comfort who were returning to the ship after caring for patients on land, said Lewis Preddy, a U.S. Navy spokesman.

All 19 were pulled back onto the small boat, which was then lifted by a crane onto the ship. He said the usual process is for personnel to use a water taxi and step onto a ladder to board the ship, but that the heavy surf made that impossible.

He said two people were injured but are expected to recover.

Preddy said officials are figuring out how to continue the mission while ensuring people’s safety. The heavy swell is expected to last until at least the weekend, according to meteorologists.

Rear Adm. James Aiken, commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command-U.S. 4th Fleet, told The Associated Press that officials are working hard to bring the mission in Haiti back online after it began on Monday.

“The need is extremely great, and we’re so excited to be able to provide some care,” he said in a phone interview.

Officials said they did not immediately have the number of patients that have been treated so far.

On Tuesday, several hundred Haitians protested the ship’s presence in the coastal town of Jeremie, yelling, “Down with the American people! We don’t want them here!”

Some demanded that the U.S. government instead visit certain areas in the capital of Port-au-Prince to free neighborhoods from the control of powerful gangs.

In early October, Haiti’s government requested the deployment of foreign troops to fight gangs and help end a fuel blockade that has since lifted after one of the country’s most powerful gangs allowed trucks to access a fuel terminal. No international troops have been deployed, but the U.S. and Canada have announced a flurry of sanctions.

Aiken brushed off the small protest in Jeremie on Tuesday, saying he is focused on the positive.

“There are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people who want us there,” he said.

The USNS Comfort has visited Haiti several times in the past decade as the country struggles with a broken health system hit by severe power outages and fuel shortages. The floating hospital has tended to people with ailments ranging from diabetes to cholera, with an ongoing outbreak killing more than 280 people and infecting more than 14,100 others.

On Monday, Haiti received more than 1.17 million of oral cholera vaccines with help from the Pan American Health Organization.

___

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Haiti faces famine – but its troubles are rooted in a brutal colonial past | Kenneth Mohammed

“Toussaint was a mighty man and to make matters worse he was black / Black and back in the days when black men knew their place was in the back / But this rebel he walked through Napoleon who thought it wasn’t very nice / And so today my brothers in Haiti, they still pay the price / Haiti, I’m sorry, we misunderstood you / One day we’ll turn our heads and restore your glory.”

The haunting song by David Rudder flooded my mind as the aircraft touched down at Toussaint Louverture international airport.

Later, as my taxi weaved through Port-au-Prince, the sight of mountains of rubble lining every street was overwhelming. Makeshift tents occupied every space. It was 2012, two years after a 35-second tremor from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake left an estimated 220,000-316,000 people dead and another 300,000 injured. Some 1.5 million were made homeless in one of the deadliest natural disasters in the world. Poor construction practices and high population density were blamed for the astonishing fatalities.

Fast forward to December 2022 and Haiti is rocked by a different disaster, a perfect storm of violence, poverty, corruption and poor governance, all built on foundations of slavery, colonialism, brutality and exploitation.

The head of the World Food Programme in Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, said this week that, with gangs in control, the country faces an unprecedented crisis and could soon see famine. Haiti has run aground.

The streets are owned by heavily armed criminals, while the law enforcement agencies are underequipped, undermanned and undermotivated. Kidnapping is a business model, with more than 1,500 recorded in the last 18 months. Any available fuel sells on the black market at more than $35 a gallon. Food is a desperate challenge for most.

To fully understand a nation’s anguish, examine its history. What has been done to Haiti in the name of “the race for wealth” is the deepest wound to the Caribbean.

Christopher Columbus landed in 1492 on the coast of Hispaniola, then called Ayiti and inhabited by the Taíno and Arawak people. Columbus renamed the island and claimed it for Spain. Then the French settled to the west and called it Saint-Domingue. By 1767, sugar, coffee, indigo and cotton were booming for the European economies, as Haiti’s labour accounted for a third of the transatlantic slave trade.

Inspired by the French Revolution, in 1791 the enslaved people rose in revolt, a struggle that continued for just over 12 years, despite invasions by the British, Spanish and French, and led to the creation of Haiti, the first independent black republic outside Africa. It was the world’s only successful slave revolt with the indomitable Louverture defeating the Napoleonic armies. His general, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, authorised a constitution calling for freedom of religion, for all citizens to be known as “black” to dispel colour hierarchy, and for white men to be forbidden from possessing property.

In 1825, France, backed by several warships, demanded from Haiti 150m francs as indemnity for claims over the loss of property during the revolution and, in addition, for diplomatic recognition as an independent state. Reparations for the loss of their “property” – their slaves.

The debt choked Haiti’s economic development as interest mounted, snatching a significant share of GDP and restricting development. Haiti was forced to take loans from Crédit Industriel et Commercial bank, enriching French shareholders. The remainder of Haiti’s debt was financed by the National City Bank of New York, now Citibank, and, in 1915, US President Woodrow Wilson responded to complaints from US banks about Haiti’s debts by invading. Never had a country been invaded for debts owing. That occupation lasted until 1934, deeply resented by Haitians who staged numerous revolts. France only repealed the debt in 2016, however no reparations were forthcoming despite being the root cause of Haiti’s decimation.

Haiti has produced a portentous rogues’ gallery of leaders and coups d’état. From 1911 to 1915, there were six different presidents, each either killed or forced into exile. But the most notorious in the island’s history was François Duvalier or “Papa Doc”, elected in 1957. His regime came to be regarded as one of the most repressive in modern history and, after his death in 1971, his son, Jean-Claude or “Baby Doc”, presided over Haiti’s further economic and political decline. The first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, faced two coups d’état, alleged to be US-backed, undone by the second in 2004.

US involvement was seen again in Jovenel Moïse, elected in 2016, whose links, along with predecessor Michel Martelly, to grand corruption in the Petrocaribe scandal brought unrest and protest again to Haiti’s streets. That same year, Hurricane Matthew hit the island, causing more than 500 deaths and destruction of over 200,000 homes. A cholera outbreak was also brought in by UN peacekeepers.

Moïse’s presidential term ended in assassination in July 2021, followed by another natural disaster in August 2021 when a 7.2 earthquake struck. It killed more than 2,200 people.

This year has brought more storms and more cholera. Violence has intensified with rival gangs fighting for control in Cité Soleil, the most impoverished and densely populated neighbourhood in Port-au-Prince. Thousands have been affected, afraid to leave their homes for food or water. Many have been killed by stray bullets. One week in July left 89 dead.

In October, the acting president, Ariel Henry, was forced to plead for the deployment of foreign troops to oppose the gangs and the anti-government demonstrations.

Now Haiti is an “aid state”, almost totally dependent on foreign governments and institutions and remittances from the diaspora. Its underdevelopment can be attributed to corruption and geopolitical manipulation.

Above all, Haiti cannot be held to ransom by the US’s whims any longer

The longsuffering but resilient Haitian people have been victims of centuries of corrupt dictatorial governments. The fortunate have fled Haiti, contributing to a debilitating brain drain. The complicity of the colonists and successive French governments have been fundamental to Haiti’s demise, and the US’s neocolonialist role in enforcing debt repayments and the subsequent 19-year annexation of Haiti’s sovereignty is nothing short of diabolical.

Many believe that Haiti’s problems were ancestral and self-inflicted but there is more to this story. The propensity of the US to prop up strongmen contributed over and over to the sad state of Haiti, and let’s not forget the opportunistic siphoning of aid by the very agencies that collected donations from around the world.

What can be done to fix Haiti? The answer lies in forming a government of integrity and substance without allegiance to any gangs. Eradicating Port-au-Prince of the violence means severing existing ties between gangs, politicians and law enforcement. A robust anti-corruption unit with muscle, a reformed police service and legislative arm is fundamental. Aid must be conditional on showing intent to rebuild a modern nation from ground up. Above all, Haiti cannot be held to ransom by the US’s whims any longer.

In 2013, I travelled to another area of the island and swam in a sulphur spring in the ocean a few metres from shore. I ate the best seafood I have ever had, prepared by the warmest people I have ever met. For that moment this could have been any stable Caribbean island. This is the Haiti we need to see, a Haiti where the people can finally prosper in peace. Haitian lives matter and they are not disposable.

As Rudder sang: “When there is anguish in Port-au-Prince it is still Africa crying … the middle passage is gone so how come overcrowded boats still haunt our lives?”

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 15 décembre 2022

U.S. Navy Hospital Ship to Address Health Issues

in Hard Hit Port of Jérémie

In collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health, the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince announces the visit to Haiti of the U.S. hospital ship USNS Comfort. The Comfort will arrive in Haiti on December 11th and remain until December 17^th 2022. The visit is part of the U.S. Navy's Continuing Promise 2022 (CP22) mission, a two-month long deployment to Latin America and the Caribbean on a medical assistance mission reflecting the support of the U.S. government to increase regional cooperation in humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness, while strengthening maritime partnership. Haiti will be the ship's final stop on this mission, focusing on the hardest hit locations from recent natural disasters, at the Port of Jérémie

The United States thanks the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population for hosting this mission. The crew of the hospital ship Comfort will work in collaboration with the Ministry and international partners to offer specialized care while at Port. Medical teams from USNS Comfort will be working alongside host nation medical professionals to provide a variety of medical services to adults and children at the medical sites, to include:

(1) Optometry, (2) Dental, (3) Adult Care, and (4) Pediatrics.

CP22 is part of USSOUTHCOM’s Enduring Promise initiative and reflects the United States enduring promise of friendship, partnership, and solidarity with the Americas.

To benefit from the medical services of the USNS Comfort that will occur from December 13-15, all potential patients must check in with the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) representatives in Jérémie. The walk-in location is designated at the “Place Alexandre Dumas” in front of the Church of St Louis.

For more information pertaining to the provided medical services and how to register for the CP22 mission, continue to follow the U.S. Embassy in Haiti’s website and social media pages, and from your local MSPP representatives.

U.N. expects Haiti sanctions regime to be running by January

Reuters

Dec 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations' sanction regime in Haiti in response to the gang violence and humanitarian crisis should be working by January 2023, the U.N. resident coordinator for the embattled Caribbean island nation said on Thursday.

Speaking at a news briefing, Ulrika Richardson said the U.N. Security Council is still discussing possible international intervention in Haiti, two months after U.N. chief Antonio Guterres proposed several countries send in a "rapid action strike force."

"I think there is a sense of urgency, a lot of the actors share that sense of urgency. But it's tricky," said Richardson when quizzed about how long such a response could take.

Richardson said people are being confronted with violence on a daily basis in capital city Port-au-Prince, saying "it can't continue."

Most countries remain skeptical of military intervention in Haiti, noting previous peacekeeping mission failures. Some prominent Haitian figures have already been sanctioned by individual countries.

Haitian gangs have expanded their territory since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The resulting violence has left much of the country off-limits to government and led to routine gun battles with police.

Richardson said some 155,000 people had been internally displaced, up 77% since August, and that the U.N. was particularly concerned about gangs using sexual violence to keep populations under control.

A recent U.N. report revealed the mass rape of 52 women in Haiti in July. Richardson said for many this happened in front of their children, and that several victims did not seek health support due to fear of retaliation or shame.

Around half of the population is in need of urgent food assistance, she added, and cases of cholera, which reemerged this year, are spreading outside the capital.

Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Josie Kao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

No. 2022/21  

Combating Global Corruption and Human Rights Abuses

U.S. Department of State announces Actions Taken for Significant Corruption against Romel Bell, Former Director General of the General Administration of Customs and Rony Celestin, Senator

On the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day and on the eve of International Human Rights Day, the United States is taking the following actions to promote accountability for corruption and human rights abuse around the world. These actions include financial sanctions, using Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Act, and four additional country-focused Executive Orders. The actions also include visa restrictions pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2022 (Div. K, P.L. 117-103), as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2023 (Div. A, P.L. 117-180) and pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

All property and interests in property of individuals or entities designated under E.O.s 14024, 13818, 13722, 13687, or 13553 that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or otherwise exempt, all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Section 7031(c) provides that in cases where there is credible information that officials of foreign governments have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are generally ineligible for entry into the United States and must be either publicly or privately designated. INA Section 212(a)(3)(C) provides grounds for the Secretary of State to exclude any alien whose entry he determines would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.

Actions Taken for Significant Corruption

Haiti

Romel Bell, Former Director General of the General Administration of Customs

Pursuant to Section 7031(c), the Department of State is designating Romel Bell for abusing his public position by participating in corrupt activity that undermined the integrity of Haiti’s government. As part of this action, one immediate family member was also designated.

Rony Celestin, Senator

Pursuant to Section 7031(c), the Department of State is designating Rony Celestin for abusing his public position by participating in corrupt activity that undermined the integrity of Haiti’s government. As part of this action, four immediate family members are also designated.

To read the full version of the steps the United States is taking to promote accountability for corruption and human rights abuses around the world, please visit:

https://www.state.gov/combating-global-corruption-and-human-rights-abuses/

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS OF THE 3^rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT (DECEMBER 11^th 2022)

https://youtu.be/YqYn2MxPNbc

Isaiah 35, 1-10; Psalm 146; James 5, 7-10; Matthew 11, 2-11.

Joy and Patience are the lessons shining forth from the readings of the Day, halfway through Advent.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God promises that he himself will come to liberate his people. While Saint James insists: Be patient, the Lord is on His way to us. The gospel claims that Jesus brings this hope and joy to the poor and to those who suffer. Thus, he fulfills what the prophet Isaiah had announced about the establishment of God's new world.

Joy, because Christmas marks the beginning of a great history that will end in glory when Jesus returns at the end of time. Christmas manifests the tender compassion of our God who came to make his dwelling among us and within us. A divine seed is planted in our hearts and in the world’s garden. Human fruitfulness is now granted to all “people of goodwill!” Rejoice, therefore, no matter the trials! Joyfully repent! You are on the path to victory!

Patience is also a necessary virtue. Is it not true that long periods of rain and snow precede the harvest? The farmer must learn to wait patiently. Likewise, our long walk “BY FAITH” will lead us through periods of severe hardships and sacrifices. No matter the obstacles and difficulties encountered in this world, our spirits must remain trusting and undefeated. The Lord has come to initiate a process leading to successful achievement. Despair does not exist in the Christian vocabulary!

Jesus gives us a vision of history that is at once realistic and optimistic. Rejoice because no matter what people say and do, Jesus will come again! You therefore rejoice and repent for you have a part to play in the bringing forth of the Final Victory. There is joy in repentance!

A MAN IN TURMOIL

Documentary films will be available for free everywhere in the world from December 1st to 31st 2022.

A MAN IN TURMOIL. From Haiti to Miami and Puerto Rico, this three-part documentary is an exceptional archive of Haitian migration in the early 1980s in the United States, as this December 12, 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Haitian refugee boats that were not automatically turned back. The famous Haitian author Jean-Claude Charles leads the investigation, accompanied by a team of France Television, to realize the audiovisual counterpart of his book " De si jolies petites plages " (Such pretty little beaches). Realities and revolting testimonies, a subtle cinematic language to denounce the unspeakable. This trilogy is proposed in partnership with the Festival Quatre Chemins whose theme this year is "Sou Lanmè" (At sea).

I: HAITI: BETWEEN GOD AND THE PRESIDENT. This first of three films on Haiti by José Maria Berzosa and Jean-Claude Charles shows the importance of the role of the church in the status quo, its close ties to the government, and the irresponsibility of personalities close to power during the Duvalier dictatorship. We meet Archbishop Ligondé, blind to the errors of Haitian politicians, Ernest Bennett, also blinded by the position of his son-in-law Jean-Claude Duvalier, "the great chance for Haiti", and CEO of the Caribbean Cruise, who removes Haiti from the cruise itinerary. In Miami, the liberation theology priest Gérard Jean-Juste supports the refugee community and defends the violence of the oppressed against the oppressors. A film by José Maria Berzosa, an investigation by Jean-Claude Charles, France, VO ST-FR, 1982, 54'.

II: HAITI: THE LAWS OF HOSPITALITY. In this film, we see how Haitian refugees in the United States find themselves imprisoned as criminals. Some find themselves in refugee camps that resemble concentration camps, such as Krome in Miami. Others find themselves in high-security prisons such as Otisville, New York, where no distinction is made between them and ordinary prisoners. Poignant testimonies, the weight of great moral misery, separated couples (men's camps, women's camps) and the official discourse of America embodied in a spokeswoman for Krome, a person in charge of the Otisville prison and an industrialist who exploits the Haitian labor force in Port-au-Prince. A film by José Maria Berzosa, an investigation by Jean-Claude Charles, France, VO ST-FR, 1982, 46'.

III: HAITI: THE CHILDREN OF MILLBROOK. This last film in the series takes us to Millbrook, New York, a “special” school for minors considered unaccompanied by an American system that only recognizes the bonds of the nuclear family. They express their desire to leave this school, which is experienced as a prison, but are prevented from joining their relatives in the United States. In counterpoint to the testimonies of these teenagers, their families back in Haiti express their love but also their wish that they stay at all costs in the US. A film by José Maria Berzosa, an investigation by Jean-Claude Charles, France, VO ST-FR, 1982, 41'.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 16 novembre 2022

HAITIAN POLICE BRIEFLY LOSE CONTROL OF ARMORED CARBy Evens Sanon And Megan Janetsky | AP
November 11, 2022 at 4:56 p.m. ESTThe Washington PostPORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Just weeks after the United States and Canada sent a fleet of armored vehicles to Haiti to keep gangs at bay, Haitian police briefly lost control of one of the cars in an incident that left at least two people dead, officials said.The incident speaks to the difficult path ahead for the Caribbean country paralyzed by gang warfare and struggling with its worst crisis in years.A police station in the south of Haiti was overtaken by gangs Thursday morning, police said in a local radio broadcast. When authorities sent reinforcements in armored vehicles to control the gangs, police claim one of the vehicles broke down.
But officials within Haiti with direct knowledge of the situation said the car got caught in a sand trap and was assaulted by minors wielding Molotov cocktails, said Renata Segura, deputy director of Latin America and Caribbean for International Crisis Group.Segura, who tracks Haiti for the nongovernmental organization that tries to prevent or resolve conflict, said she was not authorized to reveal the identity of the official.Police fled the vehicle in an attempt to avoid an armed conflict, she said, and a video confirmed by The Associated Press shows young men surrounding the tan vehicle labeled “POLICE” while firing automatic weapons in the air, cheering and recording video on their phones.The armored vehicle was part of a fleet sent by the U.S. and Canada last month after being purchased by Haitian officials for an unconfirmed amount. It was part of an effort by the two countries that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said would help “cut the insecurity knot” that has allowed gangs to create a humanitarian crisis in Haiti.Police eventually regained control of the vehicle and the police station later in the day, but it ended in two alleged gang members dead and two police officers shot.The incident comes a few days after the country’s biggest gang and its leader Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer nicknamed “Barbecue,” lifted a blockade of the country’s main fuel depot in Port-au-Prince.The blockade deepened turmoil in Haiti, which has been reeling since the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. The chaos has spurred on a huge migratory exodus from the island._Associated Press journalist Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Havana._https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/haitian-police-briefly-lose-control-of-armored-car/2022/11/11/49f8df52-61f9-11ed-a131-e900e4a6336b_story.html

Haiti under gang rule: How to break the grip of lawlessness

11/11/2022 - 20:11

45:45

THE DEBATE © France 24

How does a nation teetering on the brink of becoming a failed state restore its legitimacy? Welcome to a special edition of The France 24 Debate. Fed-up Haitians have been speaking out in the streets and on social media about gang rule in the Americas’ poorest nation. Citizen journalists and our fact checkers from France 24’s Observers website have put together a short documentary that we’re going to show you.

Why have the kidnappings for ransom and turf wars spiraled since the July 2021 assassination of the country’s president Jovenel Moise? Why are ordinary citizens rejecting the current prime minister’s call for outside intervention? How does Haiti restore its dignity?

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Samy Vicente Lacerda.

Our guests

Derek THOMSON, Editor-in-chief, The FRANCE 24 Observers
Widlore MERANCOURT, Editor-in-Chief, Ayibopost
Jean-Marie THEODAT, Lecturer, Panthéon Sorbonne University
Velina ELYSEE CHARLIER, Member, Nou pap dòmi

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (November 13, 2022)

https://youtu.be/6Dr8VEGhmGg

Mal. 3, 19-20a; Ps 98; 2Thes 3, 7-12; Luke 21, 5-19

Next week will be the Feast of Christ the King, the festivity that marks the end of our current Liturgical Year. The following Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent the beginning of another Church year.

No wonder today’s theme focuses on the mystery of the last day of human history. It will be a day of victory for those who FEAR THE LORD AND HAVE PERSEVERED to the end when the SUN OF JUSTICE WILL ARISE UPON THEM WITH ITS HEALING RAYS. At the same time, it will be a day of UNDESCRIBABLE HORROR FOR THE PROUD AND THE EVIL DOERS. We are taught therefore that human history is a journey toward an end. Opposite fates await the righteous and the wicked. Be on your guard! PERSEVERE in your commitment to the Lord. He is the Lord of History!

The Gospel text gives a stern warning about the trials, wars, and calamities that will plague mankind during its long journey through time. Christians will have to expect constant persecution because of their attachment to the name of Jesus. Yet, in the midst of it all, the faithful should have no fear.

The Lord will be on his side to give him strength. PERSEVERANCE to the end is the key to Victory.

The Lord comes to rule the world with justice and the people with equity! Sing praise to the Lord with the harp and melodious songs. Sing joyfully before the king the Lord. Let the sea and what fills it resound! The world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands, and the mountains shout with joy with them! The Lord comes to rule the world in justice and its people with equity! In other words, the second coming of Jesus is GOOD NEWS for us. Let us prepare it through our good deeds!

Sending Troops to Haiti Would Make a Bad Situation Worse

Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is on the brink of social collapse. At least 40% of the country’s 11.5 million people are suffering from acute hunger. Gang warfare and rolling antigovernment protests have blocked the distribution of food, fuel and water. A cholera outbreak has killed dozens and sickened many more. Surging murders, kidnappings and rapes have caused tens of thousands to attempt to flee, compounding the region’s migration crisis.

At the request of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the US and its regional partners have been exploring a possible armed intervention to restore stability and deliver humanitarian aid. They should think twice. Haiti’s rich neighbors must do more to help, but sending foreign troops into such a chaotic environment risks an even greater disaster.

Haiti has long suffered from lawlessness, drug trafficking and corruption, in addition to a string of devastating natural disasters. Those chronic sources of instability have been exacerbated by a political crisis sparked by the assassination last July of then-president Jovenel Moise. At least 40 suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime, but the investigation has failed to resolve whether government officials were involved. (Despite allegations that Henry was in contact with a suspect in the case, he has denied any involvement.)

Meanwhile, Henry has refused to set a timetable for new elections, adding to public anger over food shortages and rising gas prices and further weakening the government’s authority. It’s estimated that gangs control more than half of the country, including its main ports.

Last month, the US co-drafted a resolution seeking United Nations authorization for an international security mission to Haiti. In hopes of limiting the involvement of US troops, President Joe Biden’s administration has proposed that a “partner country” lead the effort. Possible candidates include Mexico and Canada.

The US and its partners have an interest in preventing Haiti’s collapse. But under the current conditions, any foreign military intervention would likely do more harm than good. There’s little chance the operation would remain limited and “carefully scoped,” as the US intends; a previous UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti lasted 13 years and was ridden with scandals. Attempts to secure ports, roads and warehouses to enable the flow of humanitarian relief will inevitably produce clashes between foreign troops and heavily armed local gangs. And because the international force would be acting on behalf of a government that lacks popular legitimacy, its ability to earn the trust and cooperation of the Haitian people would be compromised from the start.

Better to focus on building the capacity of Haitians themselves. The State Department has pledged $48 million in assistance this year to Haiti’s 14,000-person national police force, which is a good start. The US should expand similar programs that have shown promise, such as a joint effort with France to train anti-gang SWAT teams, and press partner governments to increase contributions to a UN fund focused on bolstering Haitian law-enforcement capabilities. More humanitarian relief should be provided directly to government agencies with a proven record of distributing funds effectively.

In response to Henry’s request for an international security mission, meanwhile, the Biden administration should rule out putting US boots on the ground, but offer to deploy additional maritime assets to Haiti’s ports to curb drug and arms smuggling. In return, Henry should commit to hold new elections; bring opposition groups into the government; and work with business leaders, labor unions and other civil-society groups to develop plans for an orderly democratic transition.

The world can’t ignore the suffering of the Haitian people — but it’s imperative that outsiders avoid making a bad situation worse. Sustained diplomatic engagement and security assistance, not military intervention, holds the best chance for success.

Criminal Charges Unsealed Against Haitian Gang Leaders For Kidnappings of U.S. Citizens

State Department Offers $3 Million in Rewards for Capture of Three Defendants

The Department of Justice today announced the unsealing of criminal charges against seven leaders of five Haitian gangs, including gang leaders involved in the armed kidnappings of 16 U.S. citizens in the fall of 2021.

“When a U.S. citizen is kidnapped abroad, the Justice Department will bring to bear the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to ensure their safe return home and to hold accountable those responsible,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As these charges demonstrate, we are committed to working alongside our interagency and international partners to disrupt these kidnapping-for-ransom schemes that endanger the lives of American citizens and that fuel the violent gangs harming the Haitian people.”

Among the charges unsealed today were federal indictments charging three Haitian nationals with conspiracy to commit hostage taking and hostage taking for their roles in the armed kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens in Haiti in the fall of 2021. The victims were Christian missionaries serving near Port-au-Price, Haiti, and most of them were held captive for 61 days before escaping. The group included five children, one as young as eight months old at the time of the kidnapping.

Contemporaneous with today’s announcement, the U.S. Department of State is announcing a reward of $3 million ($1 million per each of the three defendants charged in the kidnapping of the missionaries) for information leading to the capture of the three defendants, who are believed to be in Haiti. The reward is being offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.

Those three defendants, who are charged in separate indictments filed in the District of Columbia, include Lanmo Sanjou, aka Joseph Wilson, 29 and Jermaine Stephenson, aka Gaspiyay, in his late 20s, both current leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang, and Vitel’homme Innocent, 36, leader of the Kraze Barye gang. The 400 Mawozo gang, which operates in Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of Port-au-Prince, claimed responsibility for the missionaries’ kidnapping. The Kraze Barye gang operates in the Torcelle and Tabarre areas of Haiti. According to the indictment, Innocent worked together with 400 Mawozo in the hostage taking.

In addition to the indictments for the kidnapping of the missionaries, the Department of Justice announced charges against four other Haitian nationals who are leaders of three other gangs for two other kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Haiti.

“The charges unsealed today are a reminder of the FBI’s ability to reach criminal actors overseas when crimes are committed against U.S citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI, with our federal and international partners, will continue to pursue anyone who targets Americans for hostage taking or other violent crimes – wherever they are.”

“We stand with the people of Haiti, whose country has been ravaged by violent gangs impacting every facet of society,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “We are committed to using all tools available to prosecute these gangs in order to disrupt their unlawful activities in Haiti and bring justice for our victims.”

“FBI Miami has extraterritorial responsibility for the Caribbean, Central and South America,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt of the FBI Miami Field Office. “When crimes against U.S. Citizens occur in Haiti and throughout this region, we will not relent. The FBI’s full investigative capability will be brought to bear to identify those responsible.”

The investigation involving the Oct. 16, 2021, kidnapping of the missionaries has also led to additional charges. Two alleged leaders of the 400 Mawozo gang previously were charged with the crimes. Joly Germine, aka “Yonyon,” 30, and Jean Pelice, aka “Zo,” 27, were charged by superseding indictment in July 2022. Both have pleaded not guilty to charges. According to court documents, Germine, who was in a Haitian prison at the time of the kidnapping, directed and asserted control of 400 Mawozo gang members’ kidnapping operations, including ransom negotiation for the hostages’ release. One of the gang’s stated goals in holding the hostages was to secure from the Haitian government Germine’s release from prison. Germine is alleged to have been in regular contact with other 400 Mawozo leaders about the hostages’ kidnapping, captivity, and ransom. Two of the hostages were released on or about Nov. 20, 2021, and three more were released on or about Dec. 5, 2021. The remaining hostages escaped captivity on or about Dec. 16, 2021.

Additionally, charges also were unsealed today in cases involving three other Haitian gangs:

The leader of the gang Gran Ravine, Renel Destina, aka Ti Lapli, 40, was indicted on charges of hostage taking. Gran Ravine controls areas to the southwest of Port-au-Prince. The indictment charges the gang with kidnapping a U.S victim in February 2021, holding the victim for approximately 14 days, during which time the victim was threatened daily at gunpoint, while his family scrambled to secure funds for release. The victim was finally released on Feb. 16, 2021, after a ransom was paid.
A leader of the gang Village de Dieu, Emanuel Solomon, aka Manno, in his 30s, was charged in a criminal complaint for kidnapping a U.S. citizen in January 2021. The Village de Dieu gang controls areas to the southwest of Port-au-Prince. The victim was taken hostage at gunpoint and held for approximately 11 days until his family and friends in the United States sent a ransom payment to Haiti for his release. The gang kept the victim’s car and two phones, and finally released the victim on Jan. 23, 2021. Manno and fellow gang leaders are active on social media, posting about the gang’s exploits.
Two leaders of the gang Kokorat san Ras, John Peter Fleronvil and Jean Renald Dolcin, were charged by complaint for kidnapping at gunpoint three U.S. victims in July 2022. Two victims, a married couple, were held for six days and released following a ransom payment made by a family member. A third victim was taken captive the day after the other two U.S. victims and held for approximately six days while a family member negotiated for his release; that victim was also released following a ransom payment to the gang. The victims were all held together at the same location. Fleronvil and other Kokorat san Ras gang members were arrested on Sept. 11, by Haiti law enforcement officials while preparing to cross the border to the Dominican Republic.

Destina, Solomon, and Dolcin also are being sought.

The charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI’s Miami Field Office investigated the cases, with valuable assistance from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The Haitian National Police also provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, Jack Korba, and Brittany Keil for the District of Columbia prosecuted the cases with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Beau Barnes for the District of Columbia.

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 26 octobre 2022

UN demands end to violence in Haiti, sanctions gang leader

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Friday demanding an immediate end to violence and criminal activity in Haiti and imposing sanctions on individuals and groups threatening peace and stability in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation — starting with a powerful gang leader.

The sanctions were the first authorized by the U.N.’s most powerful body since 2017 and the resolution’s approval by all 15 council nations, whose divisions have been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demonstrated a rare sign that council members can work together -- at least on some global crises.

“We are sending a clear message to the bad actors that are holding Haiti hostage,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the resolution’s approval. “The international community will not stand idly by while you wreak havoc on the Haitian people.”

Mexico’s U.N. Ambassador Juan Ramon De La Fuente Ramirez praised the council’s unity on a complex issue. “In this crisis, the Security Council has given a clear signal that violence has to stop and it cannot go unpunished.”

The United States and Mexico, which drafted the 10-page resolution, had delayed the vote from Wednesday so they could revise the text to gain more support.

The U.S. ambassador said the resolution was an important first step by the Security Council to help Haitians who want action against criminals, including gangs and their financiers. She said a second resolution, which the U.S. and Mexico are working on, will help restore security and allow the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid by authorizing “a non-U.N. International Security Assistance Mission.”

The form of that help might take has been controversial among some council members and Haitians who are wary of foreign military involvement in the country, especially by the United States.

Friday’s text eliminated an earlier reference to an Oct. 7 appeal by Haiti’s Council of Ministers for the urgent dispatch of an international military force to tackle the country’s violence and alleviate its humanitarian crisis. It also dropped mention of an Oct. 8 letter from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlining options to help Haiti’s National Police combat high levels of gang violence.

Thomas-Greenfield said Friday the next resolution will be a response to those requests. She didn’t say when it would be circulated or put to a vote though diplomats said it could happen next week.

The sanctions resolution named only a single Haitian — Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, whose gang has blocked a key fuel terminal, aggravating severe shortages. Cherizier, a former police officer who leads an alliance of gangs known as the G9 Family and Allies, will now face a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo.

Political instability has simmered in Haiti since last year’s still-unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, who had faced protests calling for his resignation over corruption charges and claims that his five-year term had expired. Moïse dissolved Parliament in January 2020 after legislators failed to hold elections in 2019 amid political gridlock.

Daily life in Haiti began to spin out of control last month just hours after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said fuel subsidies would be eliminated, causing prices to double. Cherizier’s gang blocked the Varreux fuel terminal to demand Henry’s resignation and to protest a spike in petroleum prices.

Haiti already was gripped by price inflation that put food and fuel out of reach for many and by protests have brought society to the breaking point. Violence is raging, making parents afraid to send children to school. Hospitals, banks and grocery stores struggle to stay open. Clean water is scarce and the country faces a cholera outbreak.

“Cherizier and his G9 gang confederation are actively blocking the free movement of fuel from the Varreux fuel terminal — the largest in Haiti,” the resolution said. “His actions have directly contributed to the economic paralysis and humanitarian crisis in Haiti.”

It also said he “has planned, directed, or committed acts that constitute serious human rights abuses.”

While serving in the police, it said, Cherizier planned and participated in a November 2018 attack by an armed gang on the capital’s La Saline neighborhood that killed at least 71 people, destroyed over 400 houses and led to the rapes of at least seven women.

He also led armed groups “in coordinated, brutal attacks in Port-au-Prince neighborhoods throughout 2018 and 2019” and in a five-day attack in multiple neighborhoods in the capital in 2020 in which civilians were killed and houses set on fire, the resolution said.

In a video posted on Facebook last week, Cherizier called on the government to grant him and G9 members amnesty. He said in Creole that Haiti’s economic and social situation was worsening by the day, so “there is no better time than today to dismantle the system.”

He outlined a plan for restoring order in Haiti. It would include creation of a “Council of Sages,” with one representative from each of Haiti’s 10 departments, to govern with an interim president until a presidential election could be held in February 2024. It also calls for restructuring Haiti’s National Police and strengthening the army.

The Security Council resolution establishes a committee that can impose sanctions on other Haitians and groups who threaten peace, security or stability by crimes, violence, arms trafficking, human rights abuses and obstructing aid deliveries.

Haiti’s U.N. Ambassador Antonio Rodrique welcomed the resolution’, saying, “There is no doubt whatsoever that these measures will contribute to bringing an end to the violent and deadly activities of these armed groups marauding in the country and causing numerous victims and mass population displacement.”

But Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia, said sanctions won’t solve anything and it makes no sense to impose them on Chérizier because he very likely has his cash in Haiti.

“Sanctions have been imposed before, but they don’t have the real threat of military intervention,” he said. “I don’t think it will have any impact.”

Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said that despite Moscow’s support for the resolution, “We are not convinced that international restrictive measures will be an appropriate response to the whole raft of complex problems in Haiti.”

He called for a long-term solution through “eradicating poverty and inequality to ensure a strengthening of state institutions in the country, without external dictates.”

Some council members were more hopeful.

China’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Geng Shuang, said “Haiti is at the brink of collapse” and Beijing hopes the resolution will send “a clear signal” to criminal gangs “to stop their evildoing and harming of their people” and to political parties to “immediately stop their collusion with criminal actors” and reach consensus on solving the crisis.

The resolution expresses “grave concern about the extremely high levels of gang violence and other criminal activities, including kidnappings, trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, and homicides, and sexual and gender-based violence including rape and sexual slavery, as well as ongoing impunity for perpetrators, corruption and recruitment of children by gangs and the implications of Haiti’s situation for the region.”

It demands “an immediate cessation of violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses, which undermine the peace, stability and security of Haiti and the region.” And it urges “all political actors” to reach agreement on allowing legislative and presidential elections to be held “as soon as the local security situation permits.”

AP writer Danica Coto contributed from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

HAITI Exclusive: U.S. will support sending ‘multinational rapid action force’ to Haiti

BY MICHAEL WILNER AND JACQUELINE CHARLES UPDATED OCTOBER 14, 2022

The United States has drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution that will encourage the “immediate deployment of a multinational rapid action force” to Haiti to address the nation’s worst security and health crisis in decades, according to a copy of the resolution obtained by McClatchy and the Miami Herald. The draft resolution, confirmed by multiple U.S. and U.N. officials, comes in response to a call by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres last week for the establishment of a rapid reaction force to assist the Haitian National Police. Over the past four weeks, powerful armed gangs have all but sent the country into anarchy, blockading the country’s largest fuel terminals and cutting off its critical roadways. It is the first public indication so far that the Biden administration is willing to participate in a military force in Haiti — although the resolution does not specify what role various nations would play. A U.S. source familiar with the drafting of the resolution said the multilateral force would not be under the supervision of the U.N. or assembled under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which endorses the use of force for the maintenance of peace. Last week, Guterres proposed that Haiti and other nations or transnational organizations deploy a rapid response-force, to be followed in the medium-term by a U.N.-led force. It remains unclear who would lead the rapid-action force, but the United States, Canada and France — three countries with a long history of involvement in Haiti — have all expressed skepticism in recent days. Get unlimited digital access Subscribe now for just $2 for 2 months. CLAIM OFFER But the violence and lack of governance in Haiti have led to a shortage of potable water and a burgeoning cholera outbreak, alarming the international community and forcing the Biden administration — long reluctant to intervene in Haiti militarily — to acknowledge last week that the status quo has become untenable. If the draft resolution remains unchanged, and the Security Council adopts it, the U.N. would encourage “the immediate deployment of a multinational rapid action force to support the [Haiti National Police] as recommended in the Secretary-General’s letter,” according to the draft. It is still unclear whether China or Russia, two permanent members of the Security Council, will support the resolution. China has been critical in recent months of the international community’s approach to Haiti and has called for a stronger arms embargo on the Caribbean nation. The United States is also seeking a U.N. mechanism that will levy international sanctions against Haiti’s gang leaders. This week, the U.S sent an elite disaster assistance response team to Port-au-Prince, deployed a major Coast Guard vessel to patrol the Haitian coast and issued visa restrictions on prominent Haitians involved in the violence. On Saturday, flights from both Canada and the U.S. are expected to land at the Port-au-Prince airport carrying critical security assistance, including armed vehicles ordered by the Haitian police, according to two sources familiar with the matter. This story was originally published October 14, 2022 8:08 PM.

Linda Thomas Greenfield - UN Security Council

That is why the United States and Mexico have worked closely to draft two new resolutions – resolutions we hope this Council will unanimously support.

The first resolution would impose financial sanctions on criminal actors that are inflicting so much suffering on the Haitian people. It is time to hold them accountable for their actions. It would target those responsible for gang violence, for trafficking arms, for attacking UN personnel, for kidnapping innocent citizens, and for human rights abuses and sexual and gender-based violence. And it would go after individuals blocking Haiti’s ports and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Haitian people. The UN sanctions regime aims to stop these criminal actors from having access to reputable financial institutions. And it would work to freeze their assets and prohibit their international travel.

Additionally, its arms embargo provisions would prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of arms to criminal gangs and their leaders, as designated by this Council. The draft resolution specifically lists Jimmy Cherizier – also known as “Barbeque” – as the subject of such sanctions. He is directly responsible for the devastating fuel shortage that is crippling the country. By passing this resolution, we would take concrete actions to hold him – and so many other violent criminals – to account.

The second resolution we’re working on would authorize a non-UN international security assistance mission to help improve the security situation and enable the flow of desperately needed humanitarian aid. This reflects one of the options that the Secretary-General recommended the Security Council consider. This is also a direct response to Prime Minister Henry’s and the Haitian Council of Ministers’ request for international assistance to help restore security and alleviate the humanitarian crisis. And we have also consulted broadly with other stakeholders in Haiti, including civil society and the private sector.

This resolution will propose a limited, carefully scoped, non-UN mission led by a partner country with the deep, necessary experience required for such an effort to be effective. At the United Nations and across the United States government, we will work with partners and other Council members to set defined and specific parameters for the mission, and the United States will consider the most effective means to directly support, enable, and resource it.

This non-UN international security assistance mission would operate under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. And it would facilitate international support to the Haitian National Police, as well as the Coast Guard. By helping improve the security situation on the ground, the delivery of desperately needed aid could reach those in need and address the ongoing cholera crisis. Ultimately, such a mission will rely on support from UN Member States, and this draft resolution explicitly asks for contributions of personnel, equipment, and other resources.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS OF THE 30^TH SUNDAY OF THE CHURCH YEAR (October 23, 2022)

https://youtu.be/MYZUEUVfD6M

Sirach 35, 12-14 +16-18; Psalm 34; 2 Timothy 4, 6-8 + 16-18; Luke 18, 9-14

Last Sunday, the Scripture readings stressed the importance of perseverance in prayer. Today the accent is placed on the attitude we must bring to prayer. The short story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who both went "to the temple to pray" brings forth the lesson.

The Pharisee boasts of his great virtues and of his faithfulness to the Law. He also declares himself superior to the poor tax collector. The latter in contrast simply says: "Lord be merciful to me a sinner."

Jesus concluded: "The tax collector went back home justified but not the Pharisee, for whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Hence, Jesus teaches us to be humble when we approach him in prayer. The poor tax collector was honest. He admitted his sinfulness. As Ben Sirach says in the first reading: "The prayer of the lowly pierces the sky." On the contrary, the Pharisee displayed an attitude of arrogance, pride, and contempt for his Neighbor.

The genuine Christian acknowledges the radical poverty of every human being and at the same time the surpassing mercy of our God. We are saved by grace not by our deeds. Therefore, we must never forget that everything we have comes from the Father of all mercies. Before Him, all bragging is out of place.

"Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us!" (Ps 95).

Détails: Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti; Création : 19 octobre 2022

The U.S. and Canada sent armored vehicles and supplies to Haiti to help fight a gang

By The Associated Press

Sunday, October 16, 2022 • 1:23 AM EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. and Canada sent armored vehicles and other supplies to Haiti on Saturday to help police fight a powerful gang amid a pending request from the Haitian government for the immediate deployment of foreign troops.

A U.S. State Department statement said the equipment was bought by Haiti's government, but it did not provide further details on the supplies flown on military aircraft to the capital of Port-au-Prince.

A spokesman for the U.S. military's Southern Command said he could not provide further details on the supplies sent, though he added it was a joint operation involving the U.S. Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force.

"This equipment will assist (Haiti's National Police) in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically-needed humanitarian assistance, hindering efforts to halt the spread of cholera," the State Department said.

The equipment arrived more than a month after one of Haiti's most powerful gangs surrounded a fuel terminal and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Demonstrators also have blocked roads in major cities to protest a sharp rise in fuel prices after Henry announced in early September that his administration could no longer afford to subsidize fuel.

Since then, gas stations have closed, hospitals have cut back on services and banks and grocery stores open on a limited basis as fuel, water and other supplies dwindle across Haiti.

The owners of the fuel terminal announced Saturday that armed men had attacked their installations for a second time and fled with more than 28,000 gallons of petroleum products after overpowering surveillance and emergency personnel at the facility.

It was the second time this week that armed men broke into the terminal, which stores more than 10 million gallons of gasoline and diesel and more than 800,000 gallons of kerosene.

The Pan American Health Organization said there are more than 560 suspected cases of cholera …

some 300 hospitalizations and at least 35 deaths, with experts warning the numbers are likely much higher than what i's being reported.

Coast Guard cutter patrols near Port-au-Prince, Haiti

MIAMI — The Coast Guard diverted one of its major cutters to patrol near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, at the request of the government of Haiti and in close coordination with the U.S. okay Department of State.

USCGC Northland (WMEC 904) was diverted to Haiti as a clear sign of U.S. resolve in support of the Government of Haiti and its people, and to rendezvous with the Haitian Coast Guard for training in the area.

Northland was previously patrolling within the Windward Pass under the direction of the Coast Guard’s Seventh District, headquartered in Miami, in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry, a standing maritime law enforcement operation.

“The U.S. Government has a vested interest in regional security throughout the Caribbean Sea and is aware of the ongoing situation of civil unrest and gang violence within Haiti,” said Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District. “The Coast Guard is one part of a whole-of-government approach to assist the Haitian government with security and stability throughout Haiti, especially as it relates to the deterrence and prevention of dangerous, irregular maritime migration.”

The Coast Guard has a longstanding relationship with the Haitian Coast Guard. In January 2010, USCGC Forward (WMEC 911), a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter, was the first U.S. asset to respond and render humanitarian aid and assistance following a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti. In August 2021, the Coast Guard was among the first U.S. agencies to respond with humanitarian aid following a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti.

In August 2022, USCGC Robert Yered (WPC 1104), a 154-foot Sentinel-class fast response cutter, delivered firefighting equipment sourced as a donation from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to better equip the Haitian firefighting department at Port-au-Prince-Toussaint Louverture International Airport. In September 2022, the Coast Guard’s international training team visited Haiti to facilitate the second of two iterations of small boat operations training with the Haitian Coast Guard to ensure uniform and repeatable training standards for the maintenance and safe operation of the Haitian Coast Guard’s surface fleet.

The Coast Guard continues to patrol the Caribbean Sea to deter undocumented migration by sea. In fiscal year 2022, the Coast Guard interdicted 7,173 Haitian migrants attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea.

Northland is a 270-foot Famous-class medium endurance cutter homeported in Portsmouth, Virginia. Northland’s missions include law enforcement, search and rescue, drug interdiction, fisheries enforcement, migrant interdiction, homeland security and defense operations, international training, and humanitarian operations. Northland patrols the offshore waters from Maine to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate via auth.ccsend.com

REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS OF THE 29TH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR (October 16th, 2022)

Exodus 17, 8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3, 14-4, 2; Luke 18, 1-8

Msgr. Pierre Andre Pierre

The message today stresses the overwhelming power of persistent prayer. Jesus teaches us perseverance in prayers.

The story in the first reading beautifully illustrates the point. Moses sent Joshua, his helper, to defend Israel against the hostile army of the Amalekites. During the fighting, Moses went to a mountain and raised his hands in prayer. As long as his hands were raised in prayer, Joshua’s army gained ground. But when a tired Moses dropped his arms and sought rest, the Amalekites prevailed.

Joshua finally won the battle when Aaron and Hur held up ceaselessly the arms of Moses in prayer. Thus, the victory is won not through Joshua’s sword but through Moses’ prayers.

Likewise, in the Gospel Jesus used a short story to show how persistence or perseverance in prayer brings good results. A poor widow pressed in vain an unjust and careless judge to listen to her plea for justice. The judge at first ignored the complaining widow but in the end became so annoyed by her stubborn persistence that he granted justice to her.

From that story Jesus drew the conclusion. “If an unjust judge finally yields to the request of a poor widow, how much faster will a merciful God respond to his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night?”

Jesus’ teaching invites us to trust in God, our guardian. “He slumbers not, he who guards you; he sleeps not the guardian of Israel. He will not suffer your feet to slip. He is beside you at your right hand” (Psalm 121.) He will bring you speedy help.

Let us learn to pray ceaselessly without ever stopping!

CARICOM Statement on Haiti

https://caricom.org/caricom-statement-on-haiti-2/

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) received a letter from the Prime Minister of Haiti, Dr Ariel Henry, calling for solidarity and requesting assistance to alleviate the deepening humanitarian, security, political, and economic crises in Haiti.

The actions of criminal gangs have resulted in the complete cessation of fuel distribution in several parts of the country forcing the closure of hospitals and schools and the shutting down of water pumps prohibiting the provision of clean water. The water shortage also has exacerbated the resurgence of a cholera epidemic particularly in poor neighbourhoods.

Heads of Government condemn the callous and inhumane actions of the armed gangs responsible for the roadblocks limiting movement of the Haitian people and of goods, the destruction of life and livelihoods and the deprivation of the basic needs of the people.

Heads of Government call upon all stakeholders in Haiti to come together with urgency at this critical juncture in the country’s history to bring an end to the protracted political stalemate in the interest of the people of the country and choose nation above self-interest.

Heads of Government reiterate their willingness to facilitate meaningful dialogue and consensus building among Haitian stakeholders to support efforts at resolving the political stalemate. The proposed assistance includes institution building, implementation of free and fair elections when the required enabling conditions are met, and the establishment of a framework for long-term social and economic development.

However, they recognise that these initiatives could not be effectively realised until the security situation is addressed. In that regard Heads of Government take note of the appeal by Prime Minister Henry for the urgent assistance of Haiti’s international partners for short term assistance to address the security and humanitarian crises.

Opinion Yes, intervene in Haiti — and push for democracy

Editorial Board / Wahington Post

After 15 months of Haiti’s convulsive descent into pandemonium following the assassination of its president, there is at last serious discussion of international intervention to prevent a humanitarian disaster in the tormented island nation. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, proposed that one or more countries deploy a rapid action force immediately in response to Haiti’s own plea for help to break the paralyzing grip of violence and the accelerating breakdown of infrastructure and public order.

That’s a step in the right direction, but it comes with a critical asterisk: Any move to put international boots on the ground to restore a semblance of stability in Haiti risks additional bloodshed, at least in the short term — and will fail if it props up the current government, which is widely despised.

Largely owing to Washington’s puppeteering, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry was sworn in in July 2021 after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. His unelected, illegitimate government has been a predictable disaster. It has either enabled or promoted the country’s dissolution into criminal gang fiefdoms allied with the country’s elite. It has made no serious attempt to prepare the country for elections, nor undertaken good-faith negotiations with Haitian political parties and civil society. It has demonstrated its impotence by ceding control of the capital, Port-au-Prince, to mounting violence.

The result is dire. Water and fuel supplies have been blocked, schools are closed, grocery stores are mostly shuttered, and a resurgence of cholera is taking its toll.

In a letter to President Biden last week, a group of Democratic lawmakers provided additional detail about the Henry government’s failures. The letter also noted that even as Haiti’s turmoil has deepened, the Biden administration has failed to replace its special envoy to the country; the previous one resigned a year ago.

The Biden administration’s heedlessness has been compounded by its ongoing campaign of deportations; to date, it has flown more than 26,000 Haitian border crossers back to their native country, in most cases without allowing them to apply for asylum. It is unconscionable for the Western Hemisphere’s richest country to saddle the poorest with a stream of migrants amid an economic, humanitarian and security meltdown.

No one should take lightly the prospect of an international intervention in Haiti. Such efforts in recent decades, by the Clinton administration and the United Nations, have provided few long-term improvements. A U.N. peacekeeping force that was deployed for 13 years, until 2017, provided a modicum of stability but was responsible for introducing what became one of the world’s worst recent outbreaks of cholera. Some of its troops sexually abused Haitian girls and women.

That’s a cautionary tale. Yet weighed against the cratering prospects of a failed state whose main export is asylum seekers, many Haitians would support — if with misgivings — the chance at restoring some semblance of normal life. For an intervention to succeed, however, it’s not enough to suppress the chaos. New hope for Haiti must involve a path toward democracy — and a transition toward a legitimate government with popular support.

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