A violent gang insurgency in Haiti has forced the resignation of an unpopular prime minister, but the country's crisis deepens as gangs are given the prestige of a political movement in the eyes of many Haitians. That's all. WLRN Americas Editor Tim Padgett examines how difficult it currently is to dismantle gang control in Haiti.
Last week, Haiti's interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced that he would resign. That means it's time for a transitional governing council to be installed to lead Haiti out of violent gang chaos and into new elections.
The problem is that it may be too late at this point to establish any kind of new government in Haiti, other than a gangster government.
Sadly, that became clear just days before Henri's resignation announcement, when Haitian gangs attacked Toulouse Louverture International Airport in the capital, Port-au-Prince, with a barrage of semi-automatic rifles. They succeeded in shutting down the airport. The main purpose was to prevent Henry, who was stranded in Puerto Rico, from returning home.
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But Haiti observers say equally disturbing revelations have emerged since then, and the country's crisis is certain to deepen. In recent years, they have witnessed a growing level of resignation, if not support, for the rule of the same gangs that have terrorized Haitians with murders, kidnappings, and theft of food, fuel, and medicine. ing.
It stems from the fact that most Haitians actually have the same goals as most gangs. It's about getting rid of Henry, who they claim represents Haiti's corrupt and anti-democratic ruling elite, and they're about getting rid of Henry. The United States, the United Nations, and other developed countries after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
“It may sound paradoxical, but the Haitian people live with both fear and gratitude,” said Pierre Imbert, a Haitian-American from Aventura and founding director of the nonprofit Aiti Community Trust. said.
“Many Haitians believe that gangs are responsible for Henry's resignation, but unfortunately gangs are rising up as saviors. We cannot ignore this reality.”
Pierre Humbert
Imbert frequently travels to Haiti and frequently interacts with local people. And he says a disturbing number of people are beginning to see criminal organizations as akin to political movements.
“Some people I've talked to directly have talked about how Ariel Henry was forced to resign because of gangs. Unfortunately, gangs have risen up as saviors and at this point… We cannot ignore that very reality,” Imbert said.
The International Organization for Migration says gang insurgency over the past two weeks has forced about 17,000 Haitians from Port-au-Prince into the Haitian countryside. At least a dozen bodies were found on the streets of Pétionville on Monday as a new gang rampaged through wealthier areas of the capital.
Still, many Haitians WLRN spoke to in recent days echoed the reality Imbert points out.
Danessa Delis, a security guard at a Port-au-Prince business, told WLRN that she was “thankful that the gang stood by the people and did their job” in forcing Henry out. Told.
Delice added that he believes notorious Haitian gang leaders, such as former police officer Jimmy Chéridier, known as “Barbeque,” represent a kind of rebel uprising.
“Personally, I don't think they hurt the people as much as the Haitian politicians,” she said.
This is a surprising statement, considering the United Nations says gangs were responsible for about 5,000 murders last year. And it's even more puzzling since many of Haiti's gangs are sponsored as street enforcers by the same politicians Delice mentioned.
“We are grateful to the gang for standing by the people and accomplishing their mission.” [of forcing Henry out]. Personally, I don't think they hurt the people as much as the Haitian politicians. ”
Danessa Delis is a security guard for a company in Port-au-Prince.
In any case, the fact that gangs are currently sabotaging efforts by the Haitians, the United States, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to establish a transitional governing council indicates that gangs are in the driver's seat in Haiti. This is further evidence.
“What this shows is that we're moving from just gang-on-gang attacks, gangs kidnapping individuals on the street, to gangs directly attacking the government,” said the founder of the Haitian American Foundation. said member and Fort Lauderdale attorney Michelle Austin Pamies. For democracy.
“Gangs are not afraid of the police now.”
Florida Guns – And Their Resurrection Guy Philippe
And there appears to be very little Haitian police left. to I'm already scared. Nor is it likely that a UN-backed, US-funded multinational security assistance mission (led by 1,000 Kenyan police officers) will be sent to Haiti anytime soon.
On the other hand, developed countries such as the United States, Canada, and France have decided to send troops such as the military and police to Haiti to stabilize the situation, especially since such foreign interventions have often worsened the situation in the past. I've been hesitant about it so far.
Austin Pamies argues that Haitians know that they cannot advance under gang rule: “Gang control of the country is against the interests of the people.” That's true enough.
But an equally important question is: Country We will never again control gangs, especially if the United States and the international community continue to fail to help. Does Haiti control them?
For example, can we finally stop, or at least slow, the smuggling of high-powered firearms from countries like the United States to Haiti and gang arsenals, primarily from Florida?
Otherwise, what could emerge in place of the transitional council is a type of coup government led by gangster-backed figures such as former senator and police commander Guy Philippe.
Twenty years ago this month, Philippe wore military uniform and held court with foreign correspondents like me in Port-au-Prince after leading the overthrow of then-Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Philippe's attempts to seize power then fail, and he later ends up in prison in the United States on drug charges. But last fall, he was released. He has returned to Haiti and is now hatching a new plan to take over, with the help of a gang.
“I preach peaceful revolution, and that's what I'm going to do in Haiti,” Philippe told South Florida's Local 10 News last week via Zoom from Haiti.
People like me are the real victims of this so-called gangster revolution. It is poor people like us who have lost everything.
Yvanne Altidore
Mr. Philippe even declared that he represented a less corrupt option for the Haitian people than the transitional council currently sought by the United States. This is a questionable claim at best, coming from a former drug trafficking convict. And it's especially questionable for Haitians like Yvanne Altidore, a single mother trying to find food for her two children in Port-au-Prince amidst gang brutality.
“People like me are the real victims of this so-called revolution,” Altidore told WLRN. “It's poor people like us who are losing everything.”
And if Haiti's violent power vacuum continues to be filled by gangs, people like Altidore are likely to continue to suffer further losses, and if the past is any indication, even more new sea routes A wave of desperate refugee migration will be far more likely. Florida.
