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Political Crisis in Haiti- A Myriad of Challenges
The political crisis[i] in Haiti has been caused by unprecedented violence by numerous armed gangs who demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. On 25th February, Prime Minister Ariel Henry attended a regional CARICOM Summit in Guyana seeking assistance for restoring order in Haiti. Thereafter, Prime Minister Ariel Henry visited Kenya on 29th February to seek military assistance for restoring order in Haiti and while Kenya offered to deploy a thousand strong police force, the move was blocked by the Kenyan High Court. In view of the situation, the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) on 11th March 2024 created a 9-member Transitional Presidential Council which would temporarily govern the country till the proposed elections in 2026 and also expressed support for a Multinational Security Mission for Haiti. Exploiting his absence, armed gangs engaged in fresh rounds of violence and reiterated their demands for his resignation which he later tendered on 25th April 2024. The situation in Haiti is grim with unabated violence and on 26th May 2024, American Senator, Ben Baker’s daughter and son in law and an accompanying Haitian national were killed by gangs in the capital of Haiti, Port au Prince in Haiti.
While the CARICOM and other regional partners such as the US and Canada have offered assistance from military hardware to humanitarian assistance, the crisis shows no signs of de-escalation. Some of the challenges that have emerged are the functioning of the Transitional Presidential Council, issues related to the increased flow of refugees from Haiti to neighbouring countries, and organising a Multinational Security Mission to Haiti. This paper will look into the political crisis in Haiti and the challenges for the region.
Understanding the Political Crisis in Haiti
Haiti witnessed a spike in gang-related violence across the country and especially around Port au Prince since January 2024. These well-armed gangs called for overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry while the understaffed Haitian National Police engaged them. It is to be noted that since 2023 the Haitian government appealed multiple times to the UN (United Nations) and its regional partners[ii] to organise a Multinational Security Mission to Haiti, which has so far not materialised. Considering the worsening situation, Prime Minister Ariel Henry made an appeal seeking humanitarian assistance at the 46th Conference of the Heads of Government of CARICOM held on 25th February in Guyana. During the period from January till April 2024, two developments took place. Prime Minister Ariel Henry tendered his resignation[iii] and the CARICOM finalised the creation of a Transitional Presidential Council on 11th March 2024.
The creation of the Transitional Presidential Council[iv] is an attempt to arrive at a political solution in Haiti based on consensus among stakeholders and to ensure stability. The Council has 9 members out of which 7 have voting rights while the other 2 are observers. The 7 voting members represent different political groups in Haiti which are Edgard Leblanc Fils from Collectif, Louis Gérald Gilles from December 21, Smith Augustin from Compris Historique, Leslie Voltaire from Lavalas, Fritz Jean from Montana Accord, Emannuel Vertilaire from Platfòm Pitit Desalin and the Laurent Saint-Cyr from Private Sector. The 2 non-voting members are, Regine Abraham from the civil society and Frinel Joseph from the Inter-Faith community. The Transitional Presidential Council is entrusted with governing the country till proposed elections are held in 2026, facilitate the deployment of a Multinational Security Mission and elect a new Prime Minister.
The Transitional Presidential Council elected former Senator Edgard Leblanc Fils as the Chairman. On 28th May 2024 the Transitional Presidential Council elected Gary Conille as the Prime Minister, who has earlier served as the UNICEF’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean and also as Prime Minister of Haiti from 2011-2012 under former President Michel Martelly. Although the Transitional Presidential Council seeks to restore order, there are certain challenges which it faces. Notably, the inclusion of diverse political groups which led to factionalism and difficulties in arriving at decisions. Additionally, being a non-elected body achieving political credibility and acceptance among the people requires more effort.
Ramifications and Challenges for the Region
While Haiti is certainly most affected by the rampant violence, it has serious implications for the region as well. Primarily there are two major ramifications, the growing refugee crisis and the inability to establish a Multinational Security Mission to Haiti.
The crisis has resulted in a fresh influx of refugees fleeing conflict zones to safety in neighbouring countries. Around 3,60,000 people are internally displaced due to the ongoing violence and are desperately looking for assistance. Although concerns about Haitian refugees are genuine, countries in the region such as the United States, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and countries in the Caribbean have a difficult task ahead of them owing to the sheer numbers. Issues related to Haitian refugees figured as an issue in the recently held elections in the Dominican Republic, which as Haiti’s immediate neighbour deported 1,75,000 refugees over a period. The Dominican Republic has also constructed a 250-mile wall along the border to keep out refugees. The US which is another major destination for Haitian refugees, has suspended flights and visa services and revoked the temporary protected status for Haitian refugees. The US has also sent back refugees intercepted enroute[v]. Apart from refugees, there are concerns over illegal human, narcotics and weapons trafficking and increased activities of transnational criminal organisations.
CARICOM and its Role
The CARICOM has expressed support for sending a Multinational Security Mission[vi] based on UNSC resolution 2699 of 2023 to establish peace and order. The CARICOM recognises the severity of the crisis in Haiti and has taken some steps. Primarily, it has managed to install the Transitional Presidential Council encompassing different stakeholders, which despite facing issues is a step towards achieving restoring authority. The CARICOM has reiterated its commitment in facilitating dialogue and building consensus to neutralise political bottlenecks which will prepare the way for future elections. Apart from that, the CARICOM has always been an important partner[vii] for Haiti, in facilitating coordination with international agencies such as the UN[viii] and other partners such as the US and Canada, especially in the context of providing financial and military assistance. Even though other partners such as the US and Canada have not pledged troops[ix] as a part of the Multinational Security Mission, their contribution is in the form of financial assistance[x] and training. In terms of financial support, the United States is the biggest donor with $300 million committed[xi] to providing financial assistance while Britain and Canada each offered about $6 million and $59 million respectively.
However, there are challenges to set up the proposed Multinational Security Mission[xii]. There are operational issues considering the Multinational Security Mission such as funding, training, troop composition, providing leadership, weapons loadout, generating intelligence reports and analysing threat assessment which require to be worked out. Considering that such a mission will operate in areas with heavy concentration of civilians, there is a strong risk of collateral damage and possible escalation. This may lead to domestic and international repercussions. Finally, further details require attention such as distinguishing civilians from gang-members, rehabilitating surrendered gang members, sanitizing gang-controlled zones, maintaining law and order and handing over the responsibility to local authorities.
There are over 200 armed gangs who are deeply entrenched within the Haitian society with access to high-tech weaponry and do not follow any rules of engagement. While the outgunned Haitian National Police does not provide credible deterrence, the slow recruitment, organisation and training of the Haitian Army[xiii] adds to the problem. Hence, although the Multinational Security Mission has been authorised there are substantial challenges in its deployment.
Conclusion
The current crisis in Haiti is more intensified and the challenges are manifold. Overall, the rampant violence by the armed gangs, the refugee crisis and the delay in organising a Multinational Security Mission are three main takeaways. Although the creation of the Transitional Presidential Council is a major step, factionalism coupled with administrative challenges are obstacles. The priority of all concerned parties should be to ensure smooth functioning of the Transitional Presidential Council in discharge of its duties, upgrade and arm the Haitian National Police to establish peace and order in the country, and address the refugee crisis. These actions, however, require a consensus among parties and regional stakeholders which as of now seems difficult to achieve.
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*Dr. Arnab Chakrabarty, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
The views expressed are personal.
[i] The recent political crisis has its roots in the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. Given such circumstances, the country descended into chaos and Prime Minister Ariel Henry assumed power. He had promised quick elections, an end to gang-related violence and addressing socio-economic concerns. However, weak government institutions, an understaffed Haitian National Police and spikes in violence severely undermined governmental authority.
[ii] CARICOM. (12th October 2022). CARICOM Statement on Haiti. CARICOM. Accessed 24th May 2024. https://caricom.org/caricom-statement-on-haiti-2/.
[iii] Ivana Saric. (25th April 2024). What to know about the crisis in Haiti after the Prime Minister’s resignation. AXIOS, Accessed 16th May 2024. https://www.axios.com/2024/03/18/haiti-crisis-whats-happening.
[iv] CARICOM. (11th March 2024). Outcome Declaration of CARICOM, International Partners and Haitian Stakeholders. CARICOM. Accessed 24th May 2024. https://caricom.org/outcome-declaration-of-caricom-international-partners-and-haitian-stakeholders/.
[v] Reuters. (5th April 2024). Haitians seek to flee gang-fueled anarch as neighbours boost militaries. Accessed 19th May 2024. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/haitians-seek-flee-gang-fueled-anarchy-neighbors-boost-militaries-2024-04-04/.
[vi] CARICOM. (4th August 2023). Statement on multinational force to support Haiti. Accessed 14th May 2024. https://caricom.org/statement-on-multi-national-force-to-support-haiti/.
[vii] CARICOM. (29th February 2024). CARICOM heads of Government statement on the situation in Haiti following the exchange with key international partners. CARICOM. Accessed 24th May 2024. https://caricom.org/caricom-heads-of-government-statement-on-the-situation-in-haiti-following-the-exchange-with-key-international-partners/.
[viii] United Nations. (21st March 2024). Security Council Press Statement on Haiti. United Nations. Accessed 24th May 2024. https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15636.doc.htm.
[ix] Security Council Report. (2nd October 2023). Haiti: vote to authorize multinational security support mission. Accessed 12th May 2024. https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/10/haiti-vote-to-authorise-multinational-security-support-mission.php.
[x] Keith Mines. (5th October 2023). Haiti needs a political dialogue alongside the multinational security mission. United States Institute of Peace. Accessed 15th May 2024. https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/10/haiti-needs-political-dialogue-alongside-multinational-security-mission.
[xi] The Conversation. (2nd April 2024). Kenya’s mission to Haiti: how the 1000 strong force is preparing for a planned intervention. Accessed 18th May 2024. https://theconversation.com/kenyas-mission-to-haiti-how-the-1-000-strong-force-is-preparing-for-planned-intervention-226402#:~:text=Kenya%20has%20temporarily%20halted%20controversial,a%20turn%20for%20the%20worse
[xii] Officially, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin and Chad have notified their support and troop contribution for a UN-led Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti.
[xiii] CARICOM. (4th August 2023). Statement on multinational force to support Haiti. Accessed 14th May 2024. https://caricom.org/statement-on-multi-national-force-to-support-haiti/.
