This week’s annual summit of Caribbean leaders will feature a call for relief for Haiti, according to the Bahamas’ prime minister, who recently made the announcement.
According to Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis, Haiti would be a “prominent priority” on the agenda for the Feb. 15–17 summit in Nassau, with a “Haitian-led solution” as the final aim.
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Jovenel Moise, the president of Haiti, was assassinated in 2021, leaving a leadership vacuum that empowered armed gangs and aggravated the humanitarian problems.
Davis pleaded for Canada and the US to “come to the fore to help,” saying, “We do not have the resources to be able to deal with the Haiti problem ourselves, and we do need outside help.”
Together with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a team from the United States led by Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, CARICOM regional leaders will convene.
Last month, in Mexico City, Trudeau said to reporters that Canada was “working with partners across the Caribbean and indeed, with the United States and Mexico to ensure that if the situation starts to deteriorate, we will have options.”
One of the 15 nations that make up CARICOM is Haiti, which also contains the British overseas possession of Montserrat.
The government of Haiti and top UN officials have appealed for an international force to assist the Haitian police in their fight against gangs, which have largely taken the place of the country’s governments in some areas.
Given Haiti’s unfortunate history with foreign interference, regional authorities have nevertheless exercised caution when deciding what sort of international reaction to pursue.
The goal, according to Davis, is to stabilize the nation to a degree that permits free and fair elections.
Discussions on immigration, climate change, food security, trafficking in arms and illicit drugs, and healthcare are also on the agenda for the 44th summit of the leaders of the government of the CARICOM region.
