In response to the announcement of Haiti’s outgoing Prime Minister Ariel Henry, that he is stepping down, and the High-Level Kingston Meeting on Haiti that occurred on March 11, 2024, FANM in Action expresses its support for the delivery of needed life-supporting services inside Haiti, to meet the needs of over 4 million Haitians in Port-au-Prince and throughout the country who are at risk of famine and disease; for Haitian-led solutions for security in Haiti; and for an immediate transition to democracy, led by credible voices and organizations within Haitian society.
FANM in Action notes the pressure exerted on legitimate Haitian civil society and political organizations, forcing them to share space on the proposed Presidential Council with sectors who are allegedly connected with armed gangs that have engaged in murder, kidnapping, rape, theft, and narcotics trafficking during the tenure of the outgoing Prime Minister.
FANM in Action salutes the Assembly of Caribbean People’s Initiative, and notes that this crisis could have been averted, if international power-brokers such as the United States Government and their allies had heeded the calls of Haitian Civil Society organizations, since 2021, to stop their support of the corrupt, authoritarian outgoing regime. Marleine Bastien, FANM in Action’s Executive Director, stated: “The powerful nation-states should have listened to the calls of the Haitian people to stop support the regime in Haiti, long ago, rather than letting Haiti degrade into a situation where armed gangs control up to 80% of the Port-au-Prince Metropolitan Region, and areas of the Ouest and Artibonite Departments. Good-faith parties are now obliged to negotiate for power-sharing and an emergency solution while a gun is pointed at the head of the Haitian people.”
Seven (7) sectors, organizations, parties, and umbrella coalitions (Collectif du 30 Janvier, RED / EDE / Compromis Historique, Pitit Desalin, Accord du 21 December (outgoing government), the August 30, 2021 / Montana Accord, Fanmi Lavalas) now have only 24 hours to name their representatives to the Presidential Council, based on the agreement of the Kingston meeting. Some of these formations allegedly have links to armed gangs. The governance plan also includes 2 sectors (religious leaders and civil society) who have observer status only, and do not have a formal seat on the council.
FANM in Action condemns the straight-jacket that legitimate entities were forced into in Kingston, arriving at a meeting with a pre-written script not allowing for flexibility. This is particularly true regarding the UN Security-Council Authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, and forcing a seat for coalitions with PHTK, which oversaw years of rule characterized by death, pain and suffering of the Haitian people. This was forced on negotiating Haitian parties in Kingston by the power-brokers of the international community. CARICOM’s refusal to have a discussion on the MSS was a lack of respect, insulting the Haitian people’s dignity. Parties who could compete competitively in a legitimately free and fair election were given a ‘take it or leave it” menu of very poor choices.
Many questions remain about the MSS. The forcing of the MSS on organizations participating in the formation of the Presidential Council prevents meaningful Haitian consent, so the mission will be an occupation in function, if not formally.The mission is also intentionally designed to sharply reduce any accountability for wrongful acts, including shooting of civilians and sexual exploitation and abuse. Although the UN Security Council authorized the MSS in October, 2023, it did so on the condition that the mission not be an official UN mission, for which the UN would need to take responsibility. Although the Security Council’s authorization gave lip service to the need for accountability mechanisms, five months later there are not, in fact, any such mechanisms in place.
FANM in Action stands for Haitian solutions in matters of security, and support to a properly-vetted Haitian National Police, based on the guidelines of the Groupe de Travail sur la Sécurité (GTS).
FANM in Action calls for immediate humanitarian life-saving support to be provided to over 4 million people, noting that the stringent conditions imposed on Haitian actors by the international community will likely lengthen the process of humanitarian aid delivery. An appropriate security architecture, that can support the delivery of such aid, can best be determined by a legitimate transitional government if there is to be a truly Haitian solution to the crisis, owned by the Haitian people.
FANM IN ACTION
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