CARICOM chair Pierre defends UN-backed security force as ‘Haiti is bleeding’
Key Points(5)
- Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman and St Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J.
- Pierre has defended the deployment of foreign security personnel to Haiti, saying the country’s worsening crisis demands urgent action.
- “Haiti is bleeding,” Pierre told reporters at his weekly Cabinet news conference, describing the situation in the French-speaking Caribbean nation as “very sad” and warning that conditions appeared to be deteriorating.
- Pierre said he had raised Haiti’s security crisis during last week’s United States-Caribbean Dialogue with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, despite the issue not being on the agenda.
- “Haiti is a very sad situation.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chairman and St Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre has defended the deployment of foreign security personnel to Haiti, saying the country’s worsening crisis demands urgent action.
“Haiti is bleeding,” Pierre told reporters at his weekly Cabinet news conference, describing the situation in the French-speaking Caribbean nation as “very sad” and warning that conditions appeared to be deteriorating.
Pierre said he had raised Haiti’s security crisis during last week’s United States-Caribbean Dialogue with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, despite the issue not being on the agenda.
“Haiti is a very sad situation. I raised it with the US, even if it was not part of the agenda,” he said, adding that elections planned for December could be postponed.
“Haiti is bleeding. So it’s not a matter of supporting foreign intervention,” Pierre said, defending the UN-authorised Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which is tasked with combating armed gangs, protecting critical infrastructure and supporting Haitian security forces.
He rejected suggestions that the force amounted to an invasion, arguing that its purpose was to ease the suffering of Haitians.
“CARICOM has decided that a Gang Suppression Force is one of the ways in which you can help to halt the bleeding that’s taking place in Haiti,” Pierre said.
He added that CARICOM had seen no developments to suggest the deployment was the wrong approach, while acknowledging that the situation remained deeply concerning.
“The concern about Haiti is overwhelming and the situation in Haiti seems to be getting from bad to worse,” he said.
Gangs expand operations as election uncertainty grows
Pierre’s comments came amid renewed warnings at the United Nations Security Council that armed groups in Haiti are adapting to intensified security operations, retaliating against civilians and expanding their reach into rural areas.
The council was also told that the GSF had not yet been fully deployed, even as Haitian security forces stepped up operations against the gangs.
Presidential and legislative elections planned for December 13 have been postponed indefinitely, with the UN’s top official in Haiti warning against setting a new date without a realistic assessment of whether voting can take place safely.
Haiti has not held national elections since 2016.
Carlos Ruiz Massieu, the UN’s top official in the country, said preparations for elections were continuing, with more than 35 political parties and groups and 3,500 candidates registered.
However, as of October 5, only 759,257 potential voters were on the electoral lists, compared with an estimated electorate of 6.5 million people.
Insecurity and mass displacement remain major obstacles to organising a vote.
“Setting new dates for elections without a realistic assessment of their feasibility will only erode public confidence and the credibility of Haitian institutions,” Ruiz Massieu warned.
Security force deployment continues
The GSF replaced the earlier Multinational Security Support Mission and has an extended mandate running through March 31, 2027.
Despite an initial call for 5,500 personnel, between 1,500 and 2,000 troops have been actively deployed from contributing countries, including Chad, Jamaica, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Guatemala’s military has announced the deployment of an additional contingent to join the force.
In a statement published on its official Facebook page, the Guatemalan military said a departure ceremony was held at an airbase for personnel from its 2nd Military Police Unit.
The ceremony was presided over by Major General Henry David Saenz Ramos, Guatemala’s minister of national defence.
Pierre stressed that Haiti’s crisis was a regional concern, pointing to the country’s place in Caribbean history and its shared regional ties.
“Haiti is part of our hemisphere,” he said, reiterating CARICOM’s support for efforts to curb gang violence and alleviate the hardship facing the Haitian population.
Haiti declares state of emergency
Meanwhile, Haitian authorities have declared a state of emergency through December 18 in the departments of West, Artibonite and Center as the government seeks to address worsening insecurity.
The government has urged the population to remain calm, saying it recognises the need to support citizens affected by measures that may appear contrary to the public interest.
The emergency declaration comes as authorities face mounting pressure to restore security, address mass displacement and establish conditions for credible elections.
