Several United States (US) legislators are calling on the Biden administration to withdraw United States support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti, as the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country gets ready to observe its 220th anniversary of independence on January 1, next year.
Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke and Ayanna Pressley joined four other legislators in also urging Washington to “encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition”.
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Clarke is the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, who represents the largely Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, and Pressley, represents Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District which is home to one of the largest Haitian Diaspora communities in the US.
The United Nations (UN) recently approved a US-drafted resolution supporting a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) in Haiti after President Ariel Moise urged support to bring about peace and security in his homeland, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
The country has been overrun with criminal gangs involved in murders, rapes, and other criminal activities, while opposition parties have been calling on Moise to name a date for fresh elections.
In their letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US legislators expressed concern that a foreign military intervention further risks destabilizing Haiti “endangering more innocent people and entrenching the current illegitimate regime.
“We are gravely concerned that an armed foreign intervention will only serve as a tool to buttress an illegitimate leader and undermine efforts by a representative transitional government to define the actual support desired from the international community.
“The State Department should not override the will of the Haitian people,” they urged. “It is clear that a transitional government is the only viable path forward for Haiti to return to stability and democracy,” the lawmakers wrote.
They said to further save the lives of Haitians and reduce violence in Haiti, the Biden administration should “swiftly block arms shipments to Haiti, and hold weapons traffickers and gang financiers accountable for their actions.
“Countering this continued gun trafficking to Haiti is a critical step to the security and stability of the country,” they wrote.
“We urge you to work with the relevant government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to take the steps necessary to put a robust anti-arms trafficking to Haiti strategy in place. Rather than hastily address this situation by supporting an armed foreign intervention – a strategy that has been tried and failed several times in Haiti – we urge you to take a holistic approach,” the lawmakers said.
In their letter, the legislators said “We believe that a genuine commitment to supporting the Haitian people requires the United States to withdraw support from de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry and encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition”.
They said that the UN Security Council’s recent approval of the US-drafted resolution supporting a Kenyan-led MSS to Haiti “lacks a clear mission and strategy.”
They noted that, over a year ago, Prime Minister Henry requested foreign support to address the then-gang-led blockade of fuel terminals and humanitarian aid.
But they added that Haitian authorities have already recovered the main fuel terminals and begun distributing supplies.
“We are gravely concerned that an armed foreign intervention will only serve as a tool to buttress an illegitimate leader and undermine efforts by a representative transitional government to define the actual support desired from the international community.
“Moreover, we are disturbed by the decision to deploy Kenyan security forces, who have a well-documented record of violating human rights.”
The lawmakers claimed that earlier this year, the Kenyan security forces allegedly killed up to 23 people during demonstrations in Kenya, “raising concerns with both the UN and Amnesty International” about police brutality in Kenya.
They also noted that the Kenya National Civil Society Center has opposed the deployment of Kenyan security forces to Haiti, accusing them of “extrajudicial killings”
“With the absence of clear objectives for this MSS mission, we strongly believe that funding this security operation in tandem with continued support for the de facto Haitian authorities is a misguided strategy that may have catastrophic repercussions for the Haitian people.
“The message from Haitian civil society and Haitian-American Diaspora leaders has been loud and clear: the US should stop propping up the unconstitutional de facto government and support a democratic political transition,” the US legislators wrote.
They said while the international community has “seemed singularly focused on the issue of security, a broad swath of Haitian civil society, political, academic, labor, private sector, and religious leaders have come together to present a modest proposal for a real transitional government that will pave the way for a Haitian-led solution to this multifaceted crisis.
“Unfortunately, de facto Prime Minister Henry – buoyed by diplomatic support from the US – has rejected these attempts and has only deepened his grip on power. The State Department should not override the will of the Haitian people; it is clear that a transitional government is the only viable path forward for Haiti to return to stability and democracy.”
The congresswoman said while there are no manufacturers of guns and ammunition in Haiti, “the gangs rely on shipments from the United States to arm themselves.”
They said countering this continued gun trafficking to Haiti is “a critical step to the security and stability of the country.
“We urge you to work with the relevant government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to take the steps necessary to put a robust anti-arms trafficking to Haiti strategy in place, “they urged Blinken.
“We understand that Haiti’s problems are complex and the current everyday violence the Haitian people face is untenable. Our hearts break for the Haitian people, and we stand with them in solidarity,” they stated.
“Rather than hastily address this situation by supporting an armed foreign intervention – a strategy that has been tried and failed several times in Haiti – we urge you to take a holistic approach,” they added. “This includes withdrawing support for military intervention and prioritizing a representative transitional government in Haiti.” (CMC)
