Horror in Haiti

Haiti has about 11 million inhabitants and 10,000 police officers.

The Caribbean country is dominated by gangs, historically very fragile institutions have collapsed and the population is sailing in a sea of ​​violence and misery: the perfect storm of chaos.

Haiti has been fighting for years against the oblivion of the international community despite the terrible humanitarian emergency, which is not new, although it cyclically becomes a symbol and arouses interest beyond its borders.

It is the representation of the failure of a model encouraged by corrupt elites, the reflection of a horror more typical of a work of fiction and the raw material for ideological discussions.

Today their territory is closed tight and social networks are one of the main sources of information, very often unreliable, about day-to-day life.

At the same time, especially on X (before Twitter), a political debate is raging about what to do about the crisis and the role of the United States.

Stores are closed in Port-au-Prince & those that are open either running low on water or out of it.

W/ flights suspended and port inaccessible, we can expect to see more stocks running low.

I am told the gangs' sabotage of electricity had affected hundreds of containers.

#Haiti

— Jacqueline Charles (@Jacquiecharles) March 6, 2024

“Businesses are closed and those that are open are running out of water or do not have it.

With flights suspended and the port inaccessible, what we can expect is to see more stock run out.

They told me that the sabotage of the electrical grid by the gangs affected hundreds of containers,” writes journalist Jacqueline Charles.

The escalation accelerated two weeks ago after the escape of thousands of prisoners from the main prison in Port-au-Prince.

The Government declared a state of emergency, but the Prime Minister himself, Ariel Henry, returning from a trip to Kenya, could not return to the country and was stranded in Puerto Rico.

Last Monday he was forced to resign and announce the creation of a transition council that has not yet been finalized.

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Communiqué No 4 relating to the prolongement of couvre-feu and aux interdictions of manifestations on public voice during the period of emergency pic.twitter.com/hFj6nikAbR

— Primature de la République d'Haïti (@PrimatureHT) March 14, 2024

The authorities extended the curfew and “the ban on demonstrations” at a time of maximum tension.

But who are the authorities in Haiti?

After the assassination, in July 2021, of President Jovenel Moïse, the situation fell apart.

Henry assumed command, although he avoided calling elections, hiding behind security problems, and never achieved legitimacy.

Meanwhile, discontent grew and armed groups took advantage of this vacuum.

It ended up being occupied by former police officer Jimmy Chérizier, alias

Barbecue,

leader of a coalition of criminals called G-9 and Family.

The Insight Crime organization recalls that “Haiti's gangs are fragmented” and, “however, many of them have shown unusual unity when attacking state institutions.”

🇭🇹 |

#Haiti's gangs are fragmented.

However, many of them have shown unusual unity when attacking state institutions.

Jimmy Chérizier, alias "Barbecue", has stated that his goal is to overthrow the government.

https://t.co/NahL3NyEVT pic.twitter.com/VwEK40boYE

— InSight Crime Spanish (@InSightCrime_es) March 15, 2024

Barbecue himself recently threatened to unleash “a civil war” if the prime minister did not resign and now intends to present himself as a political interlocutor.

Analyst Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, highlights one of his maxims: “I would never massacre people from my same social class.”

His attempt to construct a guerrilla-like character was unsuccessful.

However, any transitional council will have to confront this local warlord.

“I would never massacre people in the same social class as me.”

- jimmy “barbecue” chereizier, presently leading/terrorizing what's left of haiti

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) March 14, 2024

On the ongoing security crisis in Haiti: We welcome yesterday's announcement of a transitional governance structure in Haiti which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance, and action plan for near term security.

pic.twitter.com/mAr3t6UTb5

— Department of State (@StateDept) March 12, 2024

The Joe Biden Administration and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) are crucial actors for the future of Haiti.

The State Department first encouraged and then applauded the prime minister's resignation as a condition that “paves the way for a peaceful transition of power.”

Predictable, on the other hand, was the reaction of the Bolivarian alliance ALBA.

Its executive secretary, former Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, referred to the “risks of interventionism in Haiti.”

And just as predictable, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who managed to corral the gangs in exchange for a profound deterioration in human rights and freedoms, echoed some photos of chaos and destruction and boasted: “We can fix it.”

Meanwhile, Haitians only demand an urgent exit from the abyss and an end to terror.

The @ALBA-TCP warns about the risks of interventionism in Haiti.

Given the worrying situation that the Republic of Haiti is currently going through, the member states of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP)…

— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) March 15, 2024

We can fix it.

But we'll need a UNSC resolution, the consent of the host country, and all the mission expenses to be covered.

https://t.co/GPqMVo7MTN

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 10, 2024