Haiti, an impasse, awaits a transitional government

PORT-AU-PRINCE – The situation in Haiti remains at a standstill, a month after chaos and violence escalated and there has still not been in place the council that will lead the transition in the country, where elections have not been held in a very long time. , about eight years.

For a month now, the impoverished Caribbean nation has been experiencing a surge in violence at the hands of armed gangs, who have united to demand the resignation of the prime minister. ariel henryAnd on March 2, amid chaos and terror, they attacked the two main prisons, from which about 3,600 prisoners escaped, many of them bandits known for their extreme cruelty.

The severity of the events, which forced the closure of schools, hospitals and airports in Haiti, prompted authorities to declare a curfew in the West Department, where the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is located and where it Since then emergency is in force there also.

All this happened in the absence of Henry, who was visiting Kenya at the time to agree to send the multinational security assistance mission that Haiti is waiting for and whose deployment is also on hold.

Waiting for the Council of Changes

Ariel Henry, who took over after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in June 2021, has not been able to return to his country and is currently in the United States after being stranded for several days in Puerto Rico, where he resigned on March 12. Had agreed to give. To give way to a transitional government in Haiti, where elections have not been held since the ill-fated ruler was elected in November 2017.

However, three weeks after receiving notice of its formation, the Presidential Council in charge of carrying out the transition has still not officially inaugurated it, at which, as agreed, the Prime Minister will be appointed, with whom he will form a Government of National Unity. will build.

Once the institution is in place, Henry will leave power in the poor country whose situation, according to the United Nations, is a “catastrophe” with more than 1,500 deaths at the hands of armed groups so far this year. In its first communication issued this week, the council promised stability and putting the country back on the path to democratic legitimacy and dignity.

Kidnapping, violence…

Although the situation is stable, violent acts continue to be reported, although to a lesser extent than at the beginning of the month, while countries continue to evacuate their citizens.

you can read: The health situation has worsened in Haiti, where there is a shortage of everything

This Sunday, local media reported that shots were fired when a French navy helicopter evacuated civilians from the European nation, although no one was injured.

Similarly, it was reported that two men were beaten to death by a mob that had taken them from a police detachment that had earlier detained them when they were on their way to buy weapons for the gang.

The incidents took place in the town of Mireblais and, according to police, the two men had more than $50,000, which is believed to have been used to buy weapons and ammunition.

The dead were identified as Alexandre Annanel, a police officer; and Muska Michelet, a security agent for the Provisional Electoral Council.

Meanwhile, one of the latest kidnappings known is that of Lebanese-American YouTuber Edison Pierre Maalouf, who, according to various reports, went to Haiti to interview Jimmy Charizier, aka Barbecue, the powerful leader of armed gangs in Haiti .

you can read: Border market with DR, a solution for Haitians to supply themselves

The man was released on Saturday after being kidnapped for several days, as he himself announced on social networks.

All this is happening in a country whose economy is set to contract by 1.8% in 2022 compared to 1.7% in 2022 following a GDP contraction last year, and which is home to 5.5 million people, half of its population in need of humanitarian assistance.