WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated US support for an international force to help stabilise Haiti, agreeing with Prime Minister Ariel Henry on the “urgency” for such a UN-authorised operation, but again not offering to lead it.
Blinken and Henry met in Trinidad and Tobago on the sidelines of the CARICOM summit of Caribbean nations.
The two “agreed on the urgency of deploying a UN-authorised multinational force or peacekeeping operation to enable the Haitian National Police to restore peace and security,” the State Department said in a statement.
Henry, for his part, told reporters that in addition to the violence “there is a worrying humanitarian crisis” in the country in terms of food insecurity, hailing Washington’s aid thus far as “invaluable.”
No country has yet stepped forward to lead the international force, and President Joe Biden’s administration has made clear that it will not risk Americans’ lives, instead prioritising bolstering Haiti’s fledgling national police force.
“The United States shares the commitment felt throughout the region to help the Haitian people shape their future to restore the country’s democratic order through free and fair elections,” Blinken told regional leaders at the summit.
“Haitians cannot achieve these critical goals without security,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve been and remain the largest international donor to the Haitian National Police, why we support the nation’s government’s call for a multinational force to help us restore security.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently visited Haiti and warned that the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation was facing “unprecedented violence” at the hands of gangs.
“The security situation is rapidly deteriorating, and humanitarian needs are soaring,” Guterres said Monday in Trinidad and Tobago, where he attended the CARICOM summit following his stop in Haiti.
Guterres has backed calls for a robust international force to stabilise Haiti, where the government has effectively lost control of broad stretches of territory.
Last week, UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said after a trip to Port-au-Prince that the world was “failing the Haitian people.”
The United States has also put a high priority on calling for new elections in Haiti, which were last held in 2016.
In their meeting Wednesday, Blinken and Henry “discussed the urgency of enlarging political consensus and reaching a broadly supported agreement to enable a return to democratic order as quickly as possible,” the State Department said.
Haiti’s last elected president, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in July 2021.
The CARICOM summit is celebrating 50 years of the regional bloc.
Blinken promised to help the nations as they combat the scourge of climate change. He also announced the appointment of a new position to help curb crime in Caribbean states.
Michael Ben’Ary will serve as the first US coordinator for Caribbean firearms prosecutions, working closely with the region on weapons investigations.
Blinken will also visit the South American nation of Guyana on his two-day trip.
