SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, CMC – President of the Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Socialist, Miguel Vargas Maldonado, says the ongoing political and socio-economic situation in Haiti will be discussed at the ongoing Socialist International meeting here.
Maldonado said that it was necessary and urgent that the international community, in particular the United States, France, Canada, and the European Union, as well as multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS), become more involved in the situation in Haiti.
“It has been more than demonstrated that it is only with the support of the international community that Haitian leaders will be able to eradicate the criminal gangs that occupy and dominate its territory,” Maldonado said.
He said such a dialogue would also lead to peace and stability in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country and would “create the conditions and the appropriate scenario for the celebration of fair, free and democratic elections which will definitively lead its people on the paths of development.”
Last Tuesday, the spokesperson for the UN rights chief said a specialized force must be deployed to urgently help Haitian authorities tackle a tsunami of gang violence, as rapes, sniper killings, and kidnappings become daily threats.
UN officials said that gang clashes left at least 208 dead, 164 injured, and 101 kidnapped in the first two weeks of March alone.
Mirroring those grave concerns, UN Haiti issued a statement strongly condemning the “extreme violence perpetrated by armed gangs” and expressing its support for the Haitian people.
The United States and Canada are engaged in efforts to bring stability to the country, where opposition parties have been staging street demonstrations to remove from power Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry, who came to office in July 2021 following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Both the United States and Canada have imposed economic. They travel bans on prominent Haitians, including former presidents, prime ministers, and legislators, whom they have accused of supporting the efforts by the criminal gangs and others to subvert justice and overthrow the government.
Earlier this year, a group of international personalities, including heads of state, said the global community has a responsibility toward Haiti even as it questioned whether foreign military intervention would assist in turning around the situation in Port-au-Prince.
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