KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC—Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, has defended the role played by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping in brokering a deal in Haiti that paved the way for a “peaceful transition of power” in the French-speaking CARICOM country.
“For those who question the relevance of CARICOM once again, CARICOM has delivered and delivered well for the people of this region and kept our region as a zone of peace,” said Ali, chairman of the 15-member regional integration movement.
CARICOM had played a key role in organizing a high-level meeting on Haiti held here on Monday, and the regional leaders had, over the past years, been at the forefront of trying to get a solution to that country’s political and socio-economic situation.
Speaking at the end of the high-level meeting on Monday night, Ali told reporters that an agreement had been reached that would allow Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry to step down and for a transitional governance arrangement “which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near-term security and the road to free and fair elections.”
“It further seeks to assure that the rule of law will govern Haiti. This commitment reflects hard compromises among a diverse coalition of actors who have put their country above all differences.
“To that end, we acknowledged Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation upon establishing a transitional presidential council and naming an interim prime minister.”
Ali said he wanted to thank Henry, who came to power following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, “for his service to Haiti, his service to the Haitian people, and for his commitment to the furtherance of the development of Haiti and the advancement of the people of Haiti and I ask us to give him an applause.”
Henry has been in Puerto Rico since last week, unable to enter his country after traveling from Kenya, where he signed an agreement allowing a United Nations Security Council-sanctioned international force led by the African nation to restore peace and security in his troubled country.
Heavily armed gangs, under the leadership of former elite policeman Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, had been pushing for Henry to step down for several weeks and had even blocked him from returning to the country. Henry did not attend the high-level meeting here, which was attended by top officials from the United States, France, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Benin, Kenya, and the United Nations.
Ali said that it was also agreed that a transitional presidential council would be created comprised of seven voting members and two voting observers.
He said the seven voting members will comprise one representative from each group, including the Collective December 21, EDE/RED, Lavalas, and the private sector.
The non-voting members will be represented by one member from civil society and one from the interfaith community.
Ali told reporters that even though Henry had decided to step down, “steps still must take place.”
“.… remember, always, this is Haitian-led, and whatever we do must be what the Haitian people want of us. That is the important point. It is not what we want. It is what the Haitian people want of us. But we exercise leadership as a region in being proactive,” Ali said.
“One of the good things about this process is you would have noticed that in the last few weeks, you, members of the media, had to be patient with us. We had several calls and pressure from the media.
“But it was essential to remain patient and deep in our conversations and discussions while not preempting or looking for media moments. That is different from what we want. For this to be successful, we must look for something other than media moments. We have to be very strategic and careful in what we do, and that is what we will do. Regarding security, we will be even more careful.”
Asked whether the meeting had agreed on CARICOM member states accepting Haitian migrant refugees in the interim, Ali replied, “That was not for discussion at these meetings. “We are focused on the stability of Haiti, stabilizing Haiti, working towards putting Haiti on a path of prosperity, development, political stability, and leading to a free and fair election. That is a priority, as well as the Haitian people’s security and humanitarian aid in there. That is where our focus was,” he added.
Ali acknowledged that there is still much more to do in stabilizing Haiti, where criminal gangs have taken control of a significant position of the country, including the capital, Port au Prince, and who have been demanding Henry’s resignation.
“In the interim, we have to act faster, which is what we’re focusing on: the people of Haiti and how fast and dynamically we can work in Haiti to bring a resolution, solution, and comfort to them. That is where our focus and minds are occupied at this moment.”
Ali said that the gangs make up part of Haitian society, and “that is part of the challenge we have on the ground.
“Now, the idea of normalcy is to allow the institutions to function, to give them room to breathe, grow, and function, and to deal with some of the situations on the ground, which include the gangs.
“Of course, the present capacity and capability are compromised because they don’t have human resources, physical assets, equipment, etc. That is what we are working on to support the transition mechanism to deal with the issue of crime and gangs. So that is part of this journey that I’m defining, and the phases of the journey are essential.
“Now, we must ensure we all work together to make this phase successful and lead into the next phase. So that is how we have to work on this. This is a work in progress.
“We did not come here to shout on top of the mountain that we have arrived at the promised land. We are here to say that we have made one leap forward, but many huge steps lie ahead of us.”
When asked whether gangs were represented at the meetings here, the CARICOM chairman said, “That’s a difficult question.
“I can’t tell you to the extent of the broadness of stakeholders’ representation, but we didn’t engage with gangs, of course. The clearances that we had no engagement with any gang, gang leader, or anything like that to our knowledge,” he said.
Ali also declined to comment on the security arrangements now being implemented in Haiti, including the deployment of the Kenya-led Multinational Security System (MSS), saying that “security matters are susceptible matters.”
He said that the security matter, which included the deployment of troops and financing, had been discussed during the parallel meetings here on Monday.
“I would go as far as saying that we are in discussion with many stakeholders and partners on what their contribution and role will be. But I will not go further than that at this stage; to go further than that would be doing an injustice to the conversation that is ongoing.”
The United States has announced a doubling of its contribution to the MSS, and Ali said, “We had an increase from Canada.
“We are also in conversations. I can’t go beyond that at this stage. We are in conversations. You know, one of the things about this region is that if you look at per capita, the contribution that this region makes to international humanity in times of crisis and times of need, you’ll be shocked to see what our contribution is globally.
“We have a small population within the region, but one thing about this region is that we never shy away from our responsibilities and participate in creating a better space.
“So I am sure that whatever is affordable, within the construct of our economies, that our region would make the contribution that we need to make,” Ali told reporters.
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