HAITI-Stakeholders tell CARICOM’s mission of the urgent need to protect citizens from gangs.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Following a one-day Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mission to Haiti to see first-hand the situation in the troubled French-speaking member nation, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has reported that stakeholders want urgent action to secure residents who are under siege from violent gangs.

Holness led the working visit on Monday for what CARICOM said, in a brief statement issued after the trip, was “the first opportunity for CARICOM officials to observe the situation on the ground and directly engage stakeholders in the continuing search for a solution to the ongoing situation in Haiti.”

The seven-member group met with the interim Prime Minister of Haiti, Dr. Ariel Henry, the Director General of the Haitian National Police, and a variety of stakeholders, including representatives of the High Transition Council, political accords, political parties, civil society, religious groups, and the private sector in the country which is facing political and security instability, with unrelenting gang violence a key feature of everyday life.

“A common theme expressed by each group is the urgency of national security and the need to safeguard the Haitian population from gangs. Underpinning this is a call for organic democracy, institution building, structure, and organization,” Holness said after the meetings.

He added that CARICOM was anxious to play a role in restoring stability in Haiti and will be a strong advocate for support to Haiti and a facilitator for the process of consensus building.

“The region has an obvious interest in Haiti’s return to normalcy as they run the risk of suffering the consequences of the ongoing difficulties there, which have the potential of spilling over. Therefore, the region must pay keen attention to the issues and work towards solutions,” Holness said.

“We want to see Haiti fulfill its promise as the first free black nation and are committed to working with Haiti to find a path to a resolution.”

For their part, the stakeholders welcomed the unique mission and said they were comforted that CARICOM was listening and exploring ways to offer support for political stability and national security.

Prime Minister Henry stressed the urgent need to adopt concrete measures to restore a secure environment in his country, an essential condition for organizing general elections.

The CARICOM Secretariat pointed out in its statement that Haiti’s complex socio-economic and political challenge is characterized by protracted instability and destabilizing gang violence.

The unique mission to Haiti was in keeping with the decision of CARICOM Heads of Government at their 44th Regular Meeting in The Bahamas earlier this month.

The Holness-led delegation also included Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson-Smith; Minister of National Security in The Bahamas, Wayne Munroe; Minister of Labour and Immigration in The Bahamas, Keith Bell; High Commissioner of Trinidad and Tobago to Canada, Dennis Moses; Executive Director of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), Lt. Col. Michael Jones; and the Chef de Cabinet in the office of the CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Tres-Ann Kremer.