Amidst the recent surge of gang violence in Haiti’s capital, which included armed assaults on the presidential palace and police headquarters, the Jamaican government announced plans to host a high-level meeting on Monday regarding Haiti, under the auspices of CARICOM.
This initiative follows ongoing engagements with various stakeholders in Haiti.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, emphasized the significance of convening Caricom leaders and representatives. The meeting will involve heads of government from The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, along with representatives from eight international partner countries and the United Nations.
The focus will be on providing support to the people of Haiti amidst the multiple crises affecting the country, as stated by the foreign affairs ministry in a news release.
Holness confirmed that the meeting, under the current chairmanship of CARICOM President Irfaan Ali of Guyana, aims to advance discussions on Haiti’s support and the path forward for Haitian governance, in line with Haitian-led solutions guided by the Caricom Eminent Persons Group, which includes former prime ministers, Bruce Golding of Jamaica, Perry Christie of The Bahamas, and Kenny Anthony of St Lucia.
Jamaica’s role in hosting the meeting aligns with its ongoing involvement in Caricom’s response to the Haitian situation, including advocacy for increased international support for the United Nations Security Council-sanctioned Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti.
Gang-related chaos continues in Haiti
Recent gang attacks, including on the presidential palace, were repelled by police on Friday night, resulting in casualties among the assailants, according to Lionel Lazarre of the Haitian police union. There were no reported police casualties.
Lazarre pleaded Saturday for “means and equipment” to protect police buildings and other key facilities.
The well-armed gangs have attacked key infrastructure in recent days, including two prisons, allowing the majority of their 3,800 inmates to escape.
Alongside some ordinary Haitians, the gangs are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was due to leave office in February but instead agreed to a power-sharing deal with the Opposition until new elections are held.
The United States has asked Henry to enact urgent political reform to prevent further escalation. However, Henry is reportedly stranded in Puerto Rico after being away in Kenya during the outbreak of violence.
After months of delays, the UN Security Council finally gave its green light last October for a multinational policing mission led by Kenya, but that deployment has been stalled by a Kenyan court.
Port-au-Prince and western Haiti have been placed under a month-long state of emergency and a night-time curfew was in effect until last Monday. The government announced an extension on Thursday.
