- US legislators want end to armed foreign intervention in Haiti
As the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country prepares to celebrate its 220th anniversary of independence on January 1, next year, several US congressmen are urging the Biden administration to withdraw US support for an armed foreign intervention in Haiti.
Yvette D. Clarke and Ayanna Pressley, both members of Congress, joined four other lawmakers in encouraging Washington to “encourage negotiations for a Haitian-led democratic political transition.”
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, represents the predominantly Caribbean 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, while Pressley represents Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, which is home to one of the country’s largest Haitian Diaspora communities.
The United Nations has passed a resolution sponsored by the United States in support of a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) in Haiti, following President Ariel Moise’s appeal for assistance in restoring peace and security in his homeland following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.
The country has been overtaken by criminal groups engaged in killings, rapes, and other illegal activity, while opposition parties have urged Moise to set a new election date.
The US legislators voiced worry in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that a foreign military intervention would further destabilise Haiti, “endangering more innocent people and entrenching the current illegitimate regime.”
“We are deeply concerned that an armed foreign intervention will only serve to bolster an illegitimate leader and undermine efforts by a representative transitional government to define the actual international support desired.”
“The State Department should not override the will of the Haitian people,” they said. “It is clear that a transitional government is the only viable path forward for Haiti to return to stability and democracy,” the MPs said in a statement.
They stated that the Biden administration should “swiftly block arms shipments to Haiti, and hold weapons traffickers and gang financiers accountable for their actions” in order to spare more Haitians’ lives and reduce bloodshed in the country.
“Countering this continued gun trafficking to Haiti is a critical step to the security and stability of the country,” they said in a statement.
“We urge you to collaborate with relevant government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to implement a robust anti-arms trafficking to Haiti strategy.”
“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.”
In their letter, the senators wrote: “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 claimed that the recent adoption by the United Nations Security Council of a US-drafted resolution supporting a Kenyan-led MSS to Haiti “lacks a clear mission and strategy.”
They emphasised that Prime Minister Henry asked foreign assistance more than a year ago to handle the then-gang-led siege of gasoline terminals and humanitarian aid.
They did, however, note that Haitian officials had already recaptured the key fuel ports and started distributing supplies.
“We are deeply concerned that an armed foreign intervention will only serve to bolster an illegitimate leader and undermine efforts by a representative transitional government to define the actual international support desired.”
“Moreover, we are disturbed by the decision to deploy Kenyan security forces, who have a well-documented record of violating human rights.”
According to the MPs, earlier this year, Kenyan security forces allegedly killed up to 23 people during protests in Kenya, “raising concerns with both the UN and Amnesty International” over police violence in Kenya.
They also mentioned that the Kenya National Civil Society Centre has been critical of Kenyan security forces’ deployment to Haiti, accusing them of “extrajudicial killings.”
“Without clear objectives for this MSS mission, we believe that funding this security operation in tandem with continued support for the de facto Haitian authorities is a misguided strategy that could have disastrous consequences 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 lawmakers stated in their letter.
While the international community “seemed singularly focused on the issue of security,” they said, “a broad swath of Haitian civil society, political, academic, labour, private sector, and religious leaders have come together to present a modest proposal for a genuine transitional government that will pave the way for a Haitian-led solution to this multifaceted crisis.”
“Unfortunately, de facto Prime Minister Henry, buoyed by US diplomatic support, has rejected these efforts and only strengthened his grip on power.” The State Department should not defy the Haitian people’s will; it is evident that a transitional government is the only possible road ahead for Haiti to restore to stability and democracy.”
The Congresswomen stated that because there are no gun and ammunition factories in Haiti, “the gangs rely on shipments from the United States to arm themselves.”
They stated that combating the ongoing gun trafficking to Haiti is “a critical step towards the country’s security and stability.”
“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 implored Blinken.
“We recognise that Haiti’s problems are complex, and the current daily violence that the Haitian people face is unsustainable.” Our hearts grieve for the Haitian people, and we stand in solidarity with them.
“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 group said.
“This includes withdrawing support for military intervention and prioritising a representative transitional government in Haiti.”
