The United States has announced that they will not be deploying troops to Haiti following a surprising outburst of gang-related violence aimed at toppling the fragile government and the unpopular prime minister, Ariel Henry.
On Monday night, nearly five days after powerful organized crime bosses launched a wave of deadly and apparently coordinated attacks, the US news group McClatchy reported there had been “frantic” exchanges between US and Haitian diplomats that had raised the prospect of an emergency deployment of US special forces to help restore order.
A staff member from the National Security Council dismissed the idea that US soldiers would be physically present in Haiti, stating, “The United States is not deploying military personnel to Haiti to aid in the country’s security efforts.”
The situation in the coastal city of Port-au-Prince, located over 2,300km south of Haiti, continued to be tense and unpredictable due to an ongoing violent uprising led by gangs. These armed groups have been targeting important and symbolic places such as police stations, prisons, the container port, and the international airport. Residents have reported hearing constant gunfire as the military tries to fend off the attackers, who are heavily armed with rifles.
According to Yolette Jeanty, a resident living near the airport who is also a human rights advocate, there has been a significant amount of gunfire since yesterday and they can still be heard from a distance.
Jeanty mentioned that due to the current situation, everyone is confined to their homes and unable to leave. On Sunday, his coworker had to backtrack after encountering numerous dead bodies while venturing outside.
“In order to protect ourselves, it is necessary for everyone to shelter in place at home.”
After being attacked by gang members, Haiti’s two main prisons were breached, resulting in the escape of numerous inmates including serious criminals such as gang leaders, killers, and abductors. Following this event, the government announced a three-day state of emergency on Sunday evening.
The police seemed to have pulled back from the downtown area, which was unusually silent. Several banks, businesses, and government buildings were shut down. Three decaying bodies remained outside the ruined national prison, which was unoccupied and easily accessible. Residents held their noses to avoid the smell. In addition, there were eight more dead bodies scattered throughout nearby neighborhoods.
“I am not completely certain of their identities,” stated a nearby taxi driver who goes by the name Wisly. “This morning, an individual from the vicinity lit them ablaze.”
Romain Le Cour, a security expert who was present in Port-au-Prince during the onset of the attacks, stated that the exact aim of the gang’s aggression is still unknown. However, Le Cour, a prominent member of the Geneva-based organization Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, emphasized that the magnitude of the attacks is unparalleled.
Le Cour reported that the amount of violence and weapons used in the past five days is astonishing. The gangs have been fighting relentlessly and continue to do so. Additionally, they have started a disturbing propaganda campaign where they share videos of police officers being murdered or tortured on social media and even sending them to the families of victims.
Le Cour stated that this conveys a powerful and frightening message.
The leader of the Médecins Sans Frontières team in Haiti, Jean-Marc Biquet, reported that the center for trauma near the airport in Port-au-Prince was inundated with patients who had sustained gunshot wounds. Among them were numerous women and children with injuries to their arms, legs, and abdomen from stray bullets.
Biquet stated that the city centre is like a battlefield and that the area around the airport is especially tense. They also mentioned that they were uncertain about who currently had control of the city.
“I believe no one is currently in charge,” stated the MSF leader. “I am concerned that the authorities will eventually concede defeat and utter, ‘We are unable to win this battle.'”
“Regarding potential outcomes, Biquet remarked, ‘I presume it would result in complete chaos.'”
Haiti’s president, Henry, was abroad when the violence erupted last week and has been unable to come back since then. On Tuesday, he arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, after being allegedly denied entry into the Dominican Republic, which is a neighboring country to Haiti and shares the island of Hispaniola. The exact reasons for this denial are not yet known. According to the Dominican newspaper Listín Diario, Henry had attempted to travel from Teterboro airport in New Jersey earlier in the day.
Display the image in a full-screen view.
When the violence erupted last Thursday, Henry, who took power after the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, was flying to Kenya to meet its president, William Ruto. The trip was part of efforts to speed up the controversial deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti as part of a UN-backed police force supposed to restore some measure of calm to a nation which suffered nearly 4,800 murders last year.
Benin, a nation in West Africa, has proposed sending 2,000 police personnel.
Haiti’s gangs have vastly expanded their grip on the country since Moïse’s murder, with some 80% of its capital said to fall under their control, even before last week’s offensive.
Certain analysts believe that the recent attack, resulting in nine fatalities including four police officers, may be strategically aimed at dissuading the global community from deploying a security force to address the issue.
According to Diego Da Rin, a Haiti specialist from the International Crisis Group who recently traveled to the country, they are putting on a strong display to demonstrate their capabilities in the event of clashes with international personnel.
The message being sent to the temporary government led by Henry is clear: they have the power to completely destabilize the Haitian government whenever they choose.
“The message is: we have a united front, we are able to completely overwhelm the Haitian security forces and we can strike simultaneously on several fronts effectively.”
Last week in Port-au-Prince, Jimmy Chérizier, a well-known gang leader known as “Barbecue”, spoke to the press and admitted to orchestrating the attacks, stating that he was also spearheading a campaign against the prime minister of Haiti with a coalition of other gangs.
Chérizier stated in a statement that we have made the decision to control our own fate and the fight we are engaged in will not only overthrow Ariel’s administration, but it will also revolutionize the entire system.
Source: theguardian.com
