Haiti's political parties, civil society organizations and diaspora groups have been negotiating for weeks what will become of Haiti's interim government after Prime Minister Henry steps down as promised. Many hope a representative council can re-establish security, rebuild institutions and boost the confidence of Haitians to vote for a new government in elections late next year. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) brokered negotiations primarily via Zoom and established an interim presidential council that includes both democracy defenders and members of several political parties. That council will choose a new interim prime minister.
As these negotiations take place, the violent leaders who control Port-au-Prince's streets are vying for legitimacy. Jimmy Cherizier, known as Barbecue, whose gang reportedly massacred and raped civilians, and Guy Phillippe, who recently served time in a U.S. prison for money laundering related to drug trafficking, are both free. He presents himself as a fighter and a legitimate political leader. They have said they would reject any internationally organized agreement, raising questions about how a CARICOM-brokered council could regain control of the country.
Some Haitian observers say involving these criminal leaders in the next phase of Haitian governance could help restore order. That is both a dangerous misconception and a ridiculous idea. It is these people who are currently inciting violence to gain power. More than 1,500 Haitians have died from gang violence since the start of the year, according to a new United Nations report. After the bully beats everyone up, you can't give him what he wants or expect him to quit. He always wants more and uses violence to get it.
Haitians deserve to be governed by honest, skilled and talented people who have been reluctant and often afraid to participate in public life inherited by a political class with ties to crime. It is. The transitional government that is formed must not include criminals, their members, or political parties with ties to drug trafficking, arms trafficking, or gangs.
I have seen state violence destroy lives. When I was a child in Haiti, my father's twin brothers, Roger and Rodrigue Austin, were involved in a conspiracy to overthrow President Duvalier. Roger helped me hide the other conspirators in a sugar cane field near where my father worked for the Haitian American Sugar Company. The soldiers ended up burning the fields, killing some people, and imprisoning his uncles. They never returned home. My grandfather was also briefly imprisoned and Mr. Duvalier believed in collective punishment, but he died soon after his release. His father went into hiding and eventually his parents, brother, and I fled to the United States.
