Taken hostage, Haiti is dying

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

A group of international personalities including heads of state, says the global community has a responsibility towards Haiti even as it questioned whether foreign military intervention would assist in turning around the situation in the French-speaking CARICOM country.

But the group, which includes present and past leaders of several African countries, acknowledged that it would not be an “easy conversation” to deal with the political and socio-economic situation in Haiti, where efforts are being made to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry and gangs roaming the country freely engaging in criminal activities such as kidnapping.

“We issue this urgent appeal: let us act now, with a new and genuine benevolence, whatever the risks, and without individual geopolitical intentions. Haitian populations are in danger. History will not be kind to those who remain inactive or who choose to look elsewhere,” said the 31-member group in a statement at the end of a forum.

The forum was initiated by Adama Dieng, a former United Nations under-secretary-general and a special adviser for the Prevention of Genocide and Registrar of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

The other members of the grouping include the President of the African Union and President of Senegal, Macky Sall; the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste; co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, José Ramos-Horta and Bacre Waly Ndiaye , the former member of the Truth and Justice Commission in Haiti.

The former president of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Dennis Byron, who is also the former president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and chairman of the United Nations Internal Justice Council is also a member of the group of international personalities.

GREATEST RESILIENCE

In a lengthy detailed statement on Haiti, the group noted that Haiti, a land immersed in African traditions, the “Pearl of the Antilles” or “Mountain Country” in the Taino language, is the nation where black slaves have shown the greatest resilience.

But it noted that on January 1, 2023, the first black republic, which celebrated the 219th anniversary of “its glorious independence … is dying”.

The group said while tragedies, like the 2010 earthquake, certainly killed and maimed many people, destroying infrastructure, “these dramas have not shaken the soul of this astonishing and endearing country”.

“Like the intrepid Haitian woman, Haiti remains surprisingly upright, and its culture vibrant,” the group said, noting that the international community, sub-regional and regional organisations, academics, media, communicators, the private sector, the Haitian comprador bourgeoisie “all have a responsibility towards Haiti.

“It’s not an easy conversation. Migration issues are a hot topic in most Western countries. In September 2021, images of American guards on horseback armed with whips pushing back Haitian migrants at the border with Mexico caused a stir around the world.

“But these whiplashes from the time of the slave trade cannot rewrite the heroic history that Haitians wrote with their blood, sweat, tears and courage. Haiti is the only slave-led military uprising that was able to overthrow a slave-holding colonial power.

“The international community was called upon to step in and fight the gangs. Just as the corrugated iron walls of Haiti’s slums will not stop stray bullets, our physical estrangement from Haiti will not prevent tragedy from piercing our souls and our comfort zones.”

The group of international personalities said that in light of past failures, “one can honestly wonder if foreign military intervention in Haiti would provide a lasting solution.

“Either way, inertia is not an option. Any response must revisit history and learn from it, prioritise security, actively promote and support justice while helping to build trust and good governance. The situation must be addressed as a whole, without delay.”