Haiti requested a “international assistance” to deal with the security crisis caused by criminal gangs, which the Haitian police cannot solve alone, Bocchit Edmond, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, told AFP on Friday October 7. “I can confirm that we have requested assistance from our international partners”said Bocchit Edmond on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Lima. “This is a security issue that our national police cannot manage alone”. The diplomat said the aid was formally requested on Thursday and that Haiti is waiting “let the international community and international partners decide what form it will take”.
In Port-au-Prince, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on Thursday granting Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry a mandate to “request and obtain effective support from Haiti’s international partners through the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity, to stop, throughout the territory, the humanitarian crisis caused, among other things, by the insecurity resulting from the criminal actions of armed gangs and their sponsors”. This decree was published in the official journal of the Haitian republic on Friday.
A human tragedy is brewing. We also have to deal with a resurgence of the cholera problem. »
Bocchit Edmond, Ambassador of Haiti to the United States
On Thursday, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro tweeted that Haiti should request a “urgent help” to the international community “to resolve the security crisis”and that he said so during a meeting with the heads of diplomacy of the United States, Antony Blinken, of Canada, Mélanie Joly, and of Haiti, Jean Victor Geneus. “If we can get the help today, that would be the best decision. As soon as possible, because we can’t wait any longer.”underlined Bocchit Edmond.
Since Haiti announced a gasoline price hike in September, the country has seen riots, looting and protests. For years, the Haitian police force has been overwhelmed, with around 10,000 officers nationwide. “A human tragedy is brewing. We also have to deal with a resurgence of the cholera problem”, added Bocchit Edmond. The fuel crisis means that “Hospitals can’t function, children can’t go to school (…) It’s a humanitarian problem”.
Antony Blinken said Thursday on Twitter that he had met the head of Haitian diplomacy in Lima and assured him of the “unwavering support” the United States. “We remain committed to helping Haiti restore security and democratic order so that all Haitians have a better future,” the US Secretary of State tweeted.