CARICOM expresses ‘deep concern’ over tensions within Haitian leadership

On Monday, CARICOM voiced “deep concern” about escalating public disagreements between Leslie Voltaire, President pro tempore of Haiti’s Transitional Council, and Acting Prime Minister Garry Conille, warning that the discord threatens Haiti’s fragile transitional process.

In a statement, CARICOM noted that “this growing lack of cohesion imperils the transitional process based on the spirit and the principles of compromise, consensus, and inclusiveness set out in the political agreement of 11 March 2024 in Jamaica and the political accord of 3 April 2024 drawn up by the Haitian stakeholders.”

The regional body described the conflict as “unseemly and distracting” amid worsening insecurity and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Haiti. It added, “This is further deepening and prolonging the despair of the Haitian people seeking a glimmer of hope and relief impeding the provision of the critical assistance that Haiti urgently requires to address and overcome the complex crisis in which it is presently mired.”

CARICOM warned that this “perilous moment in time calls for cohesiveness and joint focus in addressing the many challenges that obstruct the search for stability and progress towards the objectives of the transition.”

CARICOM emphasized that its Eminent Persons Group (EPG), chaired by former Saint Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony and including former prime ministers of Jamaica and The Bahamas, is “closely monitoring these disquieting developments.” According to CARICOM, the EPG “engaged in discussions with the President of the Transitional Council and the Prime Minister to better understand the roots of the disagreement [in order] to guide its efforts to facilitate and restore comity between the leaders of the executive branch.”

The EPG intends to continue its efforts to foster unity for as long as necessary, CARICOM said.

In closing, CARICOM urged all members of Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council and interim government to focus on “working for the Haitian people and the important task at hand — which is to lay the ground for free and fair elections by February 2026.”