Caricom Calls for Speeding up Haiti’s Political Transition

March 11, 2024 Hour: 11:10 pm

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) urged on Monday in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, to accelerate the political transition in Haiti towards a solution to the escalating violence in the Caribbean country.

RELATED:
Haiti: The Car Is on Fire and There´s No Driver at the Wheel

The position was expressed at the end of an emergency meeting behind closed doors of Caribbean leaders in search of a solution to the Haitian crisis. Members of the regional bloc had been pushing for months for the establishment of a transitional government in Haiti as protests called for Ariel Henry’s resignation.

The meeting was attended by the governments of the United States, France, Mexico and Canada, in addition to the United Nations.

For his part, the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced the availability of an additional 133 million dollars to finance the deployment of a multinational force in Haiti and for humanitarian aid.

Leaders from Caribbean nations united at an emergency summit to address the crisis in Haiti.
The meeting was held in Jamaica, initiated by the Caribbean bloc CARICOM.

The summit aimed to find a political solution to the violent and chaotic situation in Haiti, where armed gangs… pic.twitter.com/eAIViK6giu

— Jamaica Live (@JamaicaLivenews)
March 12, 2024

The President of Guyana and President of Caricom, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, acknowledged after the meeting the deep concern of the partners in the region about the turning point in Haiti.

He expressed confidence in strong and decisive action to stem the tide of lawlessness and hopelessness in Haitian territory. Irfaan Ali acknowledged that they were “deeply distressed that it is already too late for too many who have lost too much to criminal gangs.”

The Guyanese president was also optimistic about the possibility of finding a solution to the political crisis in Haiti, but with a long-term vision of development in that nation.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry did not attend the meeting, as he remains in Puerto Rico. He is facing increasing pressure to either resign or agree to a transitional council in a country that has held no elections since 2016.