Participating in Caribbean Community Discussions on Haiti Issues, Blinken Commits to Additional One Billion Dollar Aid
In response to the growing power of gangs in Haiti, the entire country has entered a state of emergency. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Jamaica on the 11th and participated in a meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states to discuss how to resolve the Haitian crisis. Blinken stated that the United States will add an additional $100 million to assist Haiti in combating gang forces; at the same time, it will also provide $33 million for humanitarian aid.
The most severe violent incident occurred in Haiti last week, where Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier intended to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Cherizier even threatened that if the prime minister does not step down, "the civil war will cause genocide." At that time, Henry was in Kenya signing an agreement, hoping to send 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to help the government restore security. However, news came out on the 12th that the President of Guyana and Chairman of the Caribbean Community, Irfaan Ali, revealed that Haitian Prime Minister Henry has resigned.
The Caribbean Community meeting discussed ways to resolve the political crisis in Haiti. It is hoped that a transitional committee will be established in Haiti to pave the way for the country's elections. According to the U.S. global threat assessment, if foreign troops are deployed to Haiti, they may encounter strong resistance from gangs. The Haitian government has extended the curfew in the western region until the 14th. The police have been authorized to use "all available legal means to enforce the curfew and arrest all violators". U.S. officials are calling for the acceleration of troop deployment to help stabilize local unrest.
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