Justice

In recent days, 1,200 Haitians have been displaced by gang violence.  The Kenyan-led security force is under-staffed and under-equipped for pushing back gangs let alone holding cleared neighborhoods.  Even if they could, it is a temporary measure until there is an effective, accountable government in place.  So far the Transitional Presidential Council is remarkable only for the level of infighting.  Residents of contested neighborhoods lack food, water, and health care.  Reaching them is challenging for even the most professional humanitarian organisations.  Despite all this, other countries continue to send flights of deportees to Haiti which is reprehensible.  Read the fhe full article linked and below for more information. 

Unchecked violence continues to spread like a cancer in Haiti, with over 10,000 displaced from their homes in the north.  Suspected gang members attacked a police station in Saut-d'Eau and the Zanmi Lasante (Partners in Health) Facility in Mirebalais has also been attacked.  The Kenyan-led peacekeeping force is still more idea than reality and despite the violence, the United States continues to deport Haitians.  The peacekeepers will face a much worse security situation than any previous peacekeeping force.  More information follows in the Reuters article below. 

Kenya's Foreign Ministry said his country is ready to lead a multinational force into Haiti, which is experiencing a surge in violence between police and gangs.  During a time when so few countries are willing to get involved in Haiti's increasingly desperate situation, it is refreshing to see a country, and one that is not even remotely close to Haiti geographically, offer to take a leadership role.  The proposed 1,000 police officers would help train and assist the Haitian National Police in restoring security.  The deployment would still require a U.N Security Council mandate and formal approvals in Kenya.  The brief article is linked and follows, updates will be posted in comments. 

The U.S State Department recently released its 2023 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.  There was very limited progress addressing TIP including domestic servitude (restavek). This is hardly surprising given insecurity, weak governance, natural disasters, inflation and increased food insecurity.  Haiti was not downgraded to Level 3 because it developed a written plan that could at least provide a foundation for future efforts.   

In Haiti, Gang violence continues unchecked. Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, which serves more than 700,000 people in the Artibonite Valley and Central Plateau regions, has suspended operations for all but emergency cases. In Port-au-Prince, gangs are taking control of more neighborhoods and operating with total impunity.  Residents of Cite Soleil are essentially captive – unable to access food, medical care, and other essential services.  A New Humanitarian article about the worsening situation in Cite-Soleil by Evens Mary and Paula Depraz-Dobias follows. 

Gang violence in Haiti's largest city continues to have a pervasive negative impact that reverberates throughout the country, affecting security, the economy, food security, education, and health care.  According to Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald, dozens of people have been killed and more than a hundred injured in a new round of deadly violence  "aggravating fuel shortages, raising transportation costs and making an already troubling humanitarian crisis even worse."  Further, 20,000 residents of the densely populated slums have been displaced by gang violence since May.  A July 8 article about gang violence in Port au Prince is copied below and linked is an update by Charles.

Every aspect of Haitian society is being negatively affected by gangs, who in the absence of a functional government, operate with impunity.  Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald reported that a violent gang in Martissant stole the generator of the Sainte Croix Hospital in Léogâne and are holding it for ransom.  The hospital is forced to shut down unless the gang returns the generator or another is donated.  This is a tragedy upon an existing tragedy given Haiti's already very high infant and maternal mortality rates.  The full article follows. 

The investigation into the assassination of Haitian Presien Jovenal Moise has broadened to include law enforcement in both Haiti and South Florida, including finding those who provided logistical and/or financial support.  Part of the investigation is being carried out in Colombia given the significant role of hired Colombian mercenaries, both in custody and at large. The full article by Miami Herald journalists Kevin Hall, Jacqueline Charles, and Jay Weaver follows. 

The Haitian President has been killed in his home and his wife wounded.  He came into power in 2017 and has been ruling by decree since January 2020.  While he did little to address Haiti's underlying issues, and may in fact have made them worse, neither he nor his wife deserved this.  The former president's seventh prime minister had not been nominated yet, the President of the Supreme Court died of COVID, and the path ahead for replacing the President is unclear.  Amongst all of Haiti's problems, the government is now in disarray.  The full article by Miami Herald Journalists Jacqueline Charles and Johnny Fils-Aime is below with updates to follow. 

The UN Security Council may not agree on much but it is unanimous in urging Haiti to settle political differences and hold elections.  The conditions for having an election are challenging - and flawed elections have made Haiti's situation worse in the past.  Still, the current political impasse is untenable.  As insecurity increases, gangs once again fill the void.  Protests are frequent, the economy is not growing, and basic services do not reach those most in need.  In short, the risk of collapse is real.  An article by Miami Herald journalist Jacqueline Charles folllows.