By Claudy Briend Auguste, Editor-in-Chief, Rezo Nòdwès
SEATTLE, WA
Haitian presidential adviser Fritz Jean has accused the United States and Canada of pressuring the country’s Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) to keep Prime Minister Alex Didier Fils-Aimé in power despite what he described as profound failures in governance, security management, and electoral planning. His remarks followed a US Embassy announcement revoking the visa of an unnamed CPT member, a decision he said merely formalised diplomatic threats already communicated privately.
Jean opened his press briefing by saying Haiti had reached “a crossroads of dignity”, arguing that the country’s constitutional transition is being weakened by both internal dysfunction and external interference. He said the CPT had been subjected to WhatsApp messages from diplomats of the US and Canadian embassies warning that if the council attempted to replace Fils-Aimé, their visas and those of their families would be cancelled. According to him, the public visa revocation echoes pressure applied behind closed doors.
The adviser claimed such actions amount to an intrusion into Haitian sovereignty. He argued that diplomatic pressure seeks to extend the tenure of a prime minister whose administration has shown no operational capacity to address the country’s urgent crises.
Jean said the CPT approved a security budget of 7 billion gourdes, yet the government had executed less than one-third of the funds. He argued that this under-spending has weakened policing operations, deprived officers of equipment, and left thousands of internally displaced people living in makeshift tents. An ad hoc committee, formed with the finance and planning ministries to direct aid to displaced families, produced no results due to the government’s lack of follow-through.
He criticised the administration for ignoring alerts regarding armed BSAP units allegedly carrying illegal weapons. Jean said he instructed Prime Minister Fils-Aimé to address the issue, but no action was taken despite cabinet discussions and the availability of allocated funds.
On fiscal governance, Jean questioned a 9.7-billion-gourde rectification in the revised budget, asking what the amount regularised and why no explanation was offered. He cited an alarming rise in domestic debt interest—from 400 million to more than 5 billion gourdes—which the government has not justified.
He also accused the justice ministry of failing to act on serious criminal cases, including transnational operations. Several individuals accused of grave offences were released without explanation, and the CPT received no answers from the minister responsible.
Jean said that “two or three families” have long held the state hostage, particularly through influence over Haiti’s customs system, depriving the government of essential revenue needed for education, job creation and infrastructure. He said a coordinated communication campaign has attempted to link the CPT to gang structures as a way to protect entrenched interests.
The adviser warned of a severe erosion of national human capital, citing figures indicating that 85% of Haitians with university degrees now live abroad. Those who remain, he added, are attempting to leave amid insecurity and economic collapse.
Jean ended his briefing with a firm declaration: “If demanding competent leadership is seen as a crime, I will continue this struggle. If confronting those who hold the state hostage is considered wrongdoing, the struggle continues.” He said Haiti stands at a pivotal moment where dignity, sovereignty and constitutional order must be defended.