US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced On Wednesday, the Marine Corps Anti-Terrorism Security Team (FAST) was deployed to Haiti to “maintain a strong security capability at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.”
SOUTHCOM said sending teams like FAST to theaters where U.S. embassies are at risk is “common and routine practice around the world,” adding that sending teams like FAST to theaters of war where U.S. embassies are at risk is “common and routine practice around the world,” adding It said it would relieve pressure on the country and “allow for the departure of additional non-emergency personnel.”
“The U.S. Embassy remains open and will continue limited operations focused on providing assistance to the American people and supporting Haiti-led efforts to ensure a peaceful transition of power.” said. announces resignation Words from Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Ariel Henry (VALERIE BAERISWYL/AFP via Getty Images)
Haiti is already rife with unstable and brutal street gangs. exploded When Henry left the country to negotiate a security intervention agreement with Kenyan President William Ruto, the violence erupted. The gang leaders declared a “bloody revolution” and blocked Henry’s return. Henry is currently stranded in Puerto Rico.
On the other hand, the agreement with Kenya is scuttled This is due to a significant lack of enthusiasm for intervention in Haiti in Kenya’s courts and among Ruto’s voters.
Southcom said:
This week, the Department of Defense doubled funding for Multinational Security Support (MSS) missions, and we are working with Haiti, Kenya, and other partners to support the Haitian National Police and restore security in Haiti. We are speeding up dispatch.
It remains unclear who will carry out the multinational mission.
The exact details of Mr Henry’s resignation are still being worked out, and if he does not resign soon the gang could begin a new rampage. U.S. and Caribbean officials appear concerned that if Henry’s resignation is too sudden, gangsters could declare victory over him and seize power for themselves.
Armed members of the G9 and Family Gangs patrol a barricade in the Delmas 6 neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 11, 2024. (Oderin Joseph/Associated Press)
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday. was praised Henry praised his “qualities as a statesman” for “putting the country first and agreeing to resign once the Interim Presidential Council is established.”
Mr Miller said he expected a transitional council to be established soon and that the “24 to 48 hour” timeline would prove to be incorrect, but that once the council had appointed an interim prime minister. Henry expected to resign soon.
When reporters asked for a more precise schedule, Miller said irritably: “It’s not about the U.S. deadline.” “This will be a Haiti-led process.”
What does that “Haitian-led process” look like? folded Thursday, as key members of the transition council withdrew their support.
Former Haitian senator Jean-Charles Moïse, who has become a worthy representative of former rebel leader Guy Philippe, said on Wednesday that he rejected the international community’s plans for a transitional council. Instead, he insisted on a three-person council that included only himself, Philip, and the Haitian judge.
“I have no intention of negotiating” the three-member demand for a transitional council, he said. “We have to make them understand.”
Mr. Philippe, recently released from a U.S. prison after serving time for money laundering, is seen as a key interlocutor between the Haitian government and gang leaders. He released a social media video on Tuesday calling on Haitians to take to the streets and protest against the transition plan developed by CARICOM. association Among Caribbean countries, the Biden administration appears to be left in charge of the Haiti disaster. Philippe was furious that CARICOM was in collusion with corrupt Haitian elites.
“CARICOM’s decision is not our decision. Haitians will decide who will govern Haiti,” he declared.
Several other groups of important Haitian leaders also rejected the CARICOM transition plan and countered with their own demands for the establishment of a transitional government.
US officials on Tuesday Said The United States and “the majority of the international community” would be “concerned” if Mr. Philippe were to come to power in Haiti.
Meanwhile, the gang’s leader, Jimmy “Barbeque” Sheridier, Said On Tuesday, he announced that his forces would begin hunting Haitian politicians other than Henry. He warned hotel owners not to risk his life or property by trying to hide his target.
Gang leader Jimmy “Barbeque” Chéridier and members of the G-9 coalition gang in the Delmas 3 neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on February 22, 2024. (Giles Clarke/Getty Images)
“We’re coming for you,” he said. “We will not lie to people that we are having a peaceful revolution. We do not have a peaceful revolution. We are starting a bloody revolution in this country.”
