Haiti, one of the world’s poorest countries, has faced a number of recent crises that have led to Prime Minister Ariel Henry requesting international military assistance against the concerns of many people who reject the prospect of foreign intervention. Last year, Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in July. Haiti has also suffered from a devastating number of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and spread of disease coupled with a longstanding political crisis made worse after the killing of president Moïse.This political power vacuum has let gangs grow stronger, and the situation worsened when the gangs took the key petrol terminal of Port-au-Prince, cutting off supplies of water and food to the country. Prime Minister Henry has become unpopular with Haitians due to the fact that he did not hold the November elections or step down at the time when Moïse’s presidency would have ended. He also caused civil unrest to escalate when he announced “an end to government fuel subsidies on 11 September, which sent petrol and diesel prices skyrocketing” (BBC).
Haitians are protesting the request for foreign military force in light of UN peacekeepers being responsible for many reports of sexual abuse and violence in the past, as well as possibly sparking a cholera epidemic that killed 10,000 people. While some are unsure about the requests for military force, others recognize the urgent need for outside help in a country whose economy and government has been failing to do so. Despite an unsuccessful history with foreign forces, Haiti still needs all the help it can get. In the past month it was reported that eight people have died from cholera, raising the concern that Haiti could be facing another health crisis if the gangs continue to block clean water sources.
“Gang competition and violence have blocked the country’s main port, crippling the delivery of fuel to electricity generators, and thus plunging Port-au-Prince, the capital, into darkness” Caption for image title in the article from the Globe and Mail.
Through “multiple foreign interventions, chronic political instability, and devastating natural disasters…Haiti has [been] transformed [from] what was once the wealthiest colony in the Americas into the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere” (CFR). In a country where more than half the nation’s population lives on less than $2 per day, Prime Minister Henry has also requested foreign aid to help the country’s worsening situation. Although many people recognize the need for outside assistance, some Haitians disagree with this request as it has previously done little to help the country. As one example, President Jean-Claude Duvalier was thought to have stolen as much as $800m in aid money during his 15-year rule. Due to this corruption and waste, the amount of foreign aid sent through the government has dropped to just 1%. Unfortunately, this has also extended to not supporting local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well. An article in the Economist reported, “the United States Agency for International Development has funneled 97% of its aid since 2010 through non-Haitian agencies or charities.” NGOs can tackle individual projects such as building a park, or paving roads, but this falls short of the scope necessary to get the country back on its feet.
Haiti has also been recently struck by several natural disasters such as earthquakes, flooding, and storms. A deadly earthquake in 2010 killed 220,000 Haitians and “at $8 billion, basic reconstruction costs surpassed the country’s annual GDP” (CFR). Then, only a month after Moise’s assasination another earthquake killed over 2,000 people. The pandemic crippled Haiti’s tourist business as well, which added to economic collapse and rising inflation. Epidemics and mismanagement continue to be factors in the country’s instability and devastated situation.
Kidnapping rates have gone up in Haiti, and the US government has asked US citizens to leave Haiti. Many Haitians try to flee to the United States, often braving the dangerous jungle terrain of the Darien Gap to seek asylum. But on reaching America, they just as quickly could be deported back. An article by the Economist follows one Haitian man trying to flee Haiti and look for a safer home for his family. He was eventually deported back against his will, and the article also reports that “since September more than 8,000 Haitians have been deported from America.” Haitians that do finally reach safety try to send back money to their families in Haiti. The money that these diaspora Haitians send back makes up a third of the country’s GDP, emphasizing the critical economic situation in Haiti.
Immigrants often are forced to trek through dangerous terrain to find asylum.
It is imperative that change be initiated as powerful gangs continue to extend fuel shortages and worsen the political crises while natural disasters continue to cripple the country. Whether that change comes from foreign military forces or not, and whether it will be effective or be as injurious as past attempts have been, remains to be seen. Please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers and pray that God will work his will in what seems like a hopeless situation. Pray for the restoration of this country, for governments to use funds wisely, and for foreign aid to help the country as much as possible as Haitians face another year of poverty, political crises, and natural disasters.
Sources:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/11/haiti-thousands-protest-against-calls-for
https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/02/05/foreign-aid-has-done-little-to-help-haiti
https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-flash-analysis-political-situation-february-2022
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63181481
https://www.crisisgroup.org/latin-america-caribbean/haiti/b44-haiti-path-stability-nation-shock
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/haitis-troubled-path-development
Image credit:
All images are taken from cited articles.
In header image, police throw tear gas at Haitians protesting against government call for foreign forces.