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facilitate the task for voters.
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Canada imposes new sanctions on two ‘Haitian elites’
Canadian government accuses two Haitian nationals, including associate of ex-President Martelly, of enabling gangs.
Sanctions come days after Canada sent armoured vehicles to Haiti to help bolster the Haitian National Police in their fight against armed gangs [File: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters]
Published On 13 Jan 202313 Jan 2023
Canada has imposed new sanctions against two “Haitian elites” accused of enabling criminal gangs, the latest measure in an international campaign to stem a surge of deadly violence in the Caribbean nation.
Canada’s foreign affairs ministry said on Friday that it was sanctioning former member of parliament Arnel Belizaire and businessman Charles Saint-Remy, an associate of former Haitian President Michel Martelly.
“Canada has reason to believe these individuals are using their status as high-profile elites in Haiti to protect and enable the illegal activities of armed criminal gangs, including through drug trafficking and other acts of corruption,” the department said in a statement.
Canada and its allies, most notably the United States, have issued a barrage of sanctions against Haitian politicians, former officials and others in recent weeks in an effort to crack down on criminal gangs and illicit activities.
Martelly, the former president, was among six Haitian officials sanctioned by Canada in November on accusations that they “participated in gross and systematic human rights violations in Haiti and engaged in acts that threaten the peace, security, and stability of Haiti”.
In recent months, Haitians have faced a surge in gang attacks and kidnappings as insecurity skyrocketed in the aftermath of the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
The country also experienced petrol and electricity shortages linked to a gang blockade on a critical fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince late last year.
Meanwhile, months of political deadlock deepened this week as the last elected officials in Haiti saw their Senate terms expire. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2017, with future elections yet to be scheduled.
Haiti’s acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry in October appealed to the international community to help set up a “specialised armed force” to restore security – a call that was backed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US President Joe Biden’s administration.
But Washington-led efforts to mount “a non-UN mission led by a partner country” to Haiti have stalled since then, as the Biden administration so far has failed to get another nation to agree to lead such a force.
Haitian civil society groups also have raised staunch opposition to the prospect of foreign intervention, saying such missions have historically brought more harm than good. Some activists have instead urged more resources be sent to the Haitian National Police.
Earlier this week, Canada announced that it had delivered armoured vehiclesalready bought by Haiti to the head of the national police force in Port-au-Prince to help in the battle against the gangs.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
DHS Implements New Processes for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans and Eliminates Cap for Venezuelans
01/06/2023
On Jan. 5, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a safe and lawful way for qualifying Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans with U.S.-based supporters to travel by air to and temporarily reside in the United States. Individuals arriving under this new process may also apply for work authorization. DHS also announced elimination of the numerical cap for a similar process for Venezuelans announced earlier this year.
This process will provide a lawful and streamlined way for qualifying nationals of Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua who are outside the United States and lacking U.S. entry documents to come to the United States. Through a fully online process, individuals can be considered, on a case-by-case basis, for advance authorization to travel to the United States and seek a temporary period of parole for up to two years, provided that they:
- Have a supporter in the United States who will provide financial and other support;
- Undergo and clear robust security vetting;
- Meet other eligibility criteria; and
- Warrant a favorable exercise of discretion.
DHS will begin implementing these new processes for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans on Jan. 6, 2023. For additional information on the process and eligibility requirements, please see the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans page.
DHS strongly encourages Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans seeking entry in the U.S. who do not have and are not eligible for a visa to instead seek entry via this process, as this will be the safest and most effective way to pursue a temporary stay in the United States. Individuals complete the process electronically and should not approach the border to access this process.
Effective immediately, U.S.-based individuals may submit Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, on behalf of named nationals of Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua to come to the United States. We are also continuing the process with respect to Venezuelans.
Access to these processes is free. Neither the U.S. supporter nor the beneficiary is required to pay the U.S. government a fee for the Form I-134A or participation in this process. Beware of any scams or potential exploitation by anyone who asks for money associated with applying to this process. Visit the Avoid Scamspage for information and resources.
12 in custody after at least 25 migrants land on Fort Lauderdale Beach
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Federal authorities took 12 people into custody after more than two dozen migrants made landfall on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
According to Fort Lauderdale Police, a group of migrants landed on the beach along the 700 block of Seabreeze Boulevard, near Harbor Drive, on Tuesday afternoon, just before 6 p.m.
Police estimate between 25 to 50 migrants made it to land.
However, U.S. Border Patrol officials said only 12 were taken into custody: nine from Haiti, two from Brazil and one from the Bahamas.
Dive teams also arrived at the scene.
Police on Wednesday continue to search for the rest of the migrants who took off running.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue treated the migrants who were detained.
Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/haiti-trudeau-rae-gangs-1.6713921Haiti: Trudeau wrestling with tough question, says Rae (CBC)CBC News, January 14, 2023
Trudeau 'wrestling' with the question of how to help Haiti, says Bob Rae
‘We are not interested in repeating the mistakes of the past,' says ambassador
By Catherine CullenAs Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince continues to be rocked by gang violence, one key adviser to the Canadian federal government says this
country doesn't favour the idea of putting boots on the ground to help address unrest."I don't want to speculate about that because I don't think that's really the step that we're taking," said Canada's Ambassador to the
United Nations Bob Rae, who last visited Haiti in December.Speaking to CBC Radio's The House, Rae said Canada is looking at how to provide assistance that will "create order" in Haiti — where, he said, the state is "holding together by a thread."Rae visited the country twice last year and is advising the Canadian government on a path forward. He said many outside Haiti don't fully
appreciate the great fear and anxiety experienced by ordinary Haitians,
who are dealing with civil disorder, widespread threats of kidnapping and sexual violence, and a food crisis."The prime minister is wrestling with a very tough question and that is, 'What is the most effective form of assistance that we can provide?'" said RaeEarlier this week, Canada airlifted a second shipment of Haitian-purchased armoured vehicles to the country to help the national
police. On Friday, Canada also announced new sanctions against two more members of the Haitian elite."We're leading the way on sanctions and frankly we'd like other governments to play a stronger role, including the United States," said
Rae, noting Canada is also providing food aid and help with public health as the country deals with a resurgence of cholera.The sensitive question of whether military involvement might be in the cards landed in the spotlight earlier this week in the lead-up to the
North American leaders summit, after comments by a senior U.S. official."Canada itself has expressed interest in taking on a leadership role" in offering some sort of multinational security support to the Haitian
National Police, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Monday.That could involve boots on the ground or other forms of support, said Sullivan. He said that U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister
Trudeau would discuss the matter, adding he didn't want to "jam anybody" by anticipating the outcome of the conversation.But no public commitment to any specific action in Haiti emerged after those private discussions on Tuesday.Trudeau did not directly answer the question about the possibility of a Canadian military presence in Haiti when asked by a reporter — though he did talk about the importance of Haitian national police being empowered
to solve the situation themselves.He added that Canada and other countries are preparing various scenarios to respond in the event the situation in Haiti gets worse.Ariel Henry, Haiti's de facto prime minister, has asked for help from a foreign military, but many citizens of Haiti see Henry's government as
illegitimate.Still, the United Nations has urged countries to consider Henry's request. It's not clear how many Haitians would reject such a military presence. Haiti's history is littered with episodes of foreign powers intervening and leaving a trail of damage.Marjorie Villefranche, director of Montreal's Maison d'Haiti, said the country has dealt with years of foreign soldiers on the ground and many Haitians do not want to see that era return."The situation could be deteriorating, but the solution is not the occupation of Haiti," she saidRae insisted that no such suggestion is under consideration.
Jean Saint-Vil of Solidarité Québec-Haiti agreed that such an armed intervention would be unwelcome."The only reason that this kind of reflex shows up is because we are dealing in a colonial paradigm where white nations, white-dominated nations, see themselves as the national policemen of the planet," he
said. "This is not acceptable in 2023.""Nobody's contemplating a huge military intervention," said Rae. "I think that idea, which may have been around in some quarters, certainly was never one that was embraced by us."The focus now is on upgrading the capacity of the Haitian security services, he said, and looking at what additional assistance Canada can provide.Rae also pointed out that there is no United Nations Security Council resolution to authorize such an intervention. Whatever is done must be based on "a stronger consensus than we're currently seeing from all of the elements in Haitian society," he added."We are not interested in repeating the mistakes of the past."
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Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Moves Into the Leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Originally from Jacksonville, Kevin Derby is the editor of Florida Daily and covers politics across Florida. Reach Kevin at
December 26, 2022, 6:00 am
Last week, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), named U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., as part of the group’s leadership.
Cherfilus-McCormick will be one of the CPC’s deputy whips for the 118th Congress.
“I’m honored to have been appointed by Rep. Jayapal to serve as deputy whip on the CPC Executive Board for the 118th Congress,” said Cherfilus-McCormick. “I’m proud to be a part of the most diverse leadership and the largest Progressive Caucus in history. I look forward to the road ahead as we continue to deliver for working families.”
“I am thrilled to announce these appointments today and complete our CPC Executive Board for the 118th Congress,” said Jayapal. “These members represent the diversity of the progressive movements, our caucus, and our country: they are immigrants and first-generation Americans, freshmen and senior members, state legislators and organizers, people of color and women, from working-class backgrounds and diverse geographies. Each of them is committed to our progressive values and to leaving no one behind.”
“The Progressive Caucus was founded in 1991 by Senator Bernie Sanders, Rep. Peter DeFazio, and Rep. Maxine Waters. Since its founding, the caucus has continued to grow, organize, and build. It will enter the 118th Congress with its largest membership to date. The diverse composition of the new CPC executive board includes 50 percent women, 73 percent people of color, and LGBTQ members,” the CPC noted.
In a special election held at the start of the year, Cherfilus-McCormick replaced longtime U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., who died in April 2021. She took 79 percent of the vote while Republican Jason Mariner got 19 percent,Libertarian Mike ter Maat garnered 1 percent and two candidates–Jim Flynnand Lenny Serratore–who were both running with no party affiliation–each pulled around .5 percent.
Cherfilus-McCormick had a much tougher time winning the primary in that special election. After several recounts, Cherfilus-McCormick prevailed over Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness and a large crowd to win the Democratic nomination. After recounts were finished and with all votes in, Cherfilus-McCormick beat Holness by five votes–11,662–23.76 percent–to 11,657 votes–23.75 percent.
After taking 26 percent of the Democratic primary vote against Hastings in 2018 and 32 percent of it last year, Cherfilus-McCormick ran a third time and she and Holness outpaced the field. Holness drew heavily in Broward County, taking 29 percent of the vote there, while Cherfilus-McCormick pulled 21 percent, enough for second place there. But she ran away in Palm Beach County, taking 30 percent while he garnered only 8 percent there.
Facing Holness in a rematch in the primary in August 2022, Cherfilus-McCormick won by a far larger margin. She won with 65 percent of the vote, while Holness finished a distant second with 29 percent of the vote.
In November, Cherfilus-McCormick routed Republican businessman Drew-Montez Clark, besting him 72.3 percent to 27.7 percent.
National Center of Haitian Apostolate |
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HOMILY OF THE NEW YEAR 2012 (Feast of the Solemnity of Holy Mary, Mother of God)
Num 6, 22-27; Ps 67; Gal 4, 4-7; Luke 2, 16-21
Msgr. Pierre André Pierre
A. Happy New Year to all of you.
May the grace and peace of God
accompany you throughout the year
that we begin today and may the Lord Jesus be with you always, every day.
B. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. Ps 132,1. As we gather in this beautiful Cathedral of St Agnes in Rockville Center, I would like the first words of my homily to be words of gratitude, for the great opportunity given to us to celebrate to welcome us as a sign of unity
C. Today begins a new year it is a day of Blessings.
And we sincerely wish each other all God's blessings:
good health, well-being, harmony in the family, happiness...
In the Church’s tradition, it is a day of Blessings.
May the Lord extend his hands of tender mercy upon each and every one of you! May in every family, the father or in his absence the mother lay hands upon their children imploring peace and God’s favor upon their family!
D. January 1st is also PEACE DAY!
On this day, as we celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of God, we also include, with seriousness and insistence, wishes and prayers for a sense of deep and lasting peace, in a world beset by violence, conflicts, and fratricidal struggles, since Mary gave us Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace.
May our sense of justice and unity, of mutual forgiveness and acceptance, create the right atmosphere in which peace can grow in our hearts, in our homes, and throughout the world.
On this first day of the year, people exchange wishes for peace and joy. I do wish the same for you too.
There are so many wars, so many inequalities and so much misery in the world. God made us responsible. He put us in charge of the world when he asked Adam “to tilt the soil, cultivate and subdue it.” That did not simply involve the material development of the world but also its societal order. The present state of the world shows that we have fallen short of our societal duties. There are all too many street crimes in our neighborhood. Peace is a permanent pursuit. It ought to be pursued unceasingly otherwise it declines as happens to the bird when it stops flipping its wings. “Happy are the peace-makers, they will be called children of God.” Let us all be involved in deeds of peace.
E. Today January 1st, the octave day of Christmas, the Church likes to honor in a special way, Mary,
the predestined woman who made Christmas possible through her trustful “YES” to the angel. She is the new Eve, the Icon of Redeemed mankind, the Blessed One for whom the Almighty has done great things. As Salomon placed his mother in charge of all his affairs on a throne next to him, Mary is in the words of the Psalmist: “The Queen Mother standing next to the King dressed in Gold of Ophir.” (Psalm 45) We do not worship her for she is not God but we revere her with exquisite devotion. As we gaze at her we appreciate the words of St Paul saying that “we have been created for the praise of God’s glory.” She stands as the showcase of God's magnificent mercy toward his faithful servants!
May she walk with us on the narrow paths of the future and teach us to love and serve her divine Son!
The witness of our lives is crucial to the development of God’s plan. He destined us to be his co-heirs but first, we must be his partners in establishing on earth his kingdom of peace and love. “We are ambassadors for Christ, God as if it were appealing through us. We implore you in Christ’s name, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor. 5, 20)
If like Mary, we trustingly say YES to the Lord, the year will be good and prosperous and there will be peace on earth.
With love and prayers.
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.
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?”
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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
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 17th 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
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 3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT (DECEMBER 11th 2022)
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'.