Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Chair, Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica, has delivered a forceful appeal for renewed international support for Haiti, warning that the crisis-wracked nation cannot be abandoned to violent criminal gangs.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM on Sunday at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, Holness stressed that CARICOM must intensify its efforts, even as international momentum appears to be slowing.
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“We cannot be true to our principles in CARICOM if we do not redouble our efforts in the international community to garner support for the mission in Haiti. We cannot leave our brothers and sisters in Haiti at the mercy of gangs,” Holness declared to resounding applause.
The Jamaican leader noted that Jamaica was one of the first countries to commit security support to Haiti. In September 2024, the Government of Jamaica deployed 20 members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and four from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to assist in restoring order in Haiti, which has seen escalating gang violence and near-complete institutional breakdown. Kenya has also sent a security mission under a multinational framework.
Holness, who assumed the rotating chairmanship of CARICOM on July 1, 2025, for a six-month term, said the ongoing crisis in Haiti and the need to mobilize greater international support will remain a core priority under his leadership. He emphasized that regional security must be strengthened to disrupt the growing influence of criminal networks across the Caribbean.
He referenced a July 2024 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report titled “Drugs, Firearms, and Gang Networks in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago,” which illustrates how gang influence, illicit weapons, and narcotics trafficking are destabilizing Caribbean societies. “We must dismantle the influence of gangs in our communities, disrupt their financing, and cut off access to weapons,” he said.
“I am on record as saying that we need to launch a war on gangs of a similar magnitude and nature to the war on terror,” Holness added, calling for the gang crisis to be addressed not only as a national security issue, but also as a public health emergency. He pointed out that 90 percent of both homicide perpetrators and victims are male, underscoring the social dimensions of the problem.
Holness promised that under his chairmanship, regional cooperation on security will be paramount, urging his CARICOM counterparts to prioritize unity in tackling the threats posed by transnational criminal networks.
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, the outgoing CARICOM Chair, also addressed the ceremony, expressing deep disappointment with the limited level of global assistance provided to Haiti thus far. She described Haiti’s instability as a persistent concern throughout her tenure.
“The world really needs a check on itself when it comes to Haiti,” Mottley said bluntly. “If ever we doubted that there were first-class and second-class citizens in the eyes of the world, don’t doubt it anymore.”
She noted that in 2023, more people were killed in Haiti than in any other country on earth, including those actively engaged in military conflicts. Despite this harrowing reality, she said the global community has failed to move beyond platitudes, leaving Haitians trapped in a cycle of violence and neglect.
Mottley emphasized that while CARICOM states have shown solidarity, their capacity is constrained by limited financial and logistical resources. She acknowledged Kenya’s leadership role in supporting Haiti’s security mission but stressed that much more is needed, particularly in terms of equipment and operational support.
The CARICOM summit continues this week in Montego Bay, with Haiti, regional security, climate financing, and economic cooperation high on the agenda.
