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Situation in Haiti
- The state of emergency was expanded to cover the entire country on 4 September.
- Two members of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), Smith Augustin and Louis Gérald Gilles, will be replaced due to their involvement in a large-scale corruption scandal. The calls for their replacement came from the sectors that appointed them.
- A third member of the CPT, Emmanuel Vertilaire, was also accused of corruption, but his resignation has not been demanded as some insist that he is being falsely accused.
- A prison break took place in the city of Saint-Marc on Friday 16 August, resulting in the death of 16 inmates. The situation was caused by a protest by the prisoners that got out of hand. By Friday afternoon, the situation was back under control.
- A report by the Fondasyon Je Klere, a non-profit citizen-monitoring organisation, disputed the narrative of a prison break, stating that inmates were only protesting food shortages related to a strike by the penitentiary administration who refused to feed inmates and allow basic necessities.
- The report further states that the over-forceful response led to inmate executions.
- An initiative was set-up by UNICEF on 9 September aiming to use art and music to provide children with alternatives to the ongoing violence.
- A protocol was also established to enable children who were liberated from gangs to be treated as victims of violence, rather than delinquents. Support services have been put in place to facilitate the reintegration of these children into society.
- The Haitian National Police Forces (PNH) destroyed a double wall erected by the ‘400 Mawozo’ gang on the national road #8 in Croix-des-Bouquets.
- There were tensions in downtown Port-au-Prince on 10 September as clashes took place between the PNH and gang members.
- Two gang members, from the gangs “Chen Mechan” and “Pierre 6”, were arrested in a joint operation of the Departmental Service of Judicial Police and the Delmas Police Station.
- In an open letter, the Office for the Protection of Citizens (OPC) urged the Haitian government to take urgent action to support higher education, highlighting the severe impact of armed attacks on several facilities of the State University of Haiti (UEH), and the displacement of students and staff.
- Haiti’s largest hydroelectric plant was down on 3 September after being overrun by protestors.
- The leader of the gang coalition “Viv Ansam”, Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Chérizier, held an interview with African stream in which he discussed the need for a system change, taking the power and wealth away from the “elites” to be redistributed among all Haitians, who he stated “are living in dirt”.
- A partial list of five names has been announced for Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), representing sectors such as the university, human rights, and labor unions. However, disputes still persist with disagreements over candidates and accusations of fraud.
Situation on the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission
- 20 Jamaican defence officers and four police officers are set to be deployed in Haiti on 12 September. They will be charged with protecting important governmental infrastructure in Port-au-Prince.
- The Belize army has sent two senior officers to Jamaica ahead of their assignment to Haiti.
- Haitians are voicing their frustration at the lack of results from the deployment of Kenyan officers in the country, with gangs having been able to increase their hold over southwestern and northeastern suburbs of Port-au-Prince.
- At the end of August, reports came out that the deployed Kenyan officers had not been paid since they landed in Haiti. The United States Ambassador to Kenya apologised and assured that the error would be rectified.
- Members of the MSS missions have expressed frustrations at the delays and lack of equipment needed to carry out the mission. On 23 August The U.S. military promised 24 additional armed vehicles to the mission.
- The US is aiming to prolong the MSS mission by one year and transform it into a traditional UN peacekeeping mission, which would allow it to secure more funding and resources. A resolution on this will be presented to the Security Council on 30 September.
International situation
- Ilan Goldfajn, the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), called for the renewal of the HOPE/HELP Act during a meeting in Washington, emphasizing its critical role in supporting Haiti’s economy by maintaining preferential trade for Haitian products.
- Delegations from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean attended a Haitian diaspora forum in Washington to discuss how the diaspora can support Haiti’s transition process, focusing on youth, women, security, elections, and humanitarian issues.
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the U.S. aims to facilitate the restoration of normal relations between the Dominican Republic and Haiti amid tensions over a river diversion project which led to crackdowns on Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic.
- Blinken made a state visit to Haiti on 5 September. During his visit, he urged the CPT to establish an electoral council to organise elections next year. The corruption scandal involving members of the council was also discussed during the visit.
Links of interest
Haiti expands state of emergency to cover entire territory
Smith Augustin and Louis Gérald Gilles Set for Possible Replacement at the CPT
Haiti prison break leaves 12 dead as inmates go hungry
Prison incident in Saint-Marc sparks call for thorough investigation
« Ma guitare résonne pour la paix »: une initiative de l’UNICEF pour la paix en Haïti
PNH Destroys Double Wall Built by the 400 Mawozo Gang on National Road #8
New day of tension in Port-au-Prince
2 gang members arrested
L’UEH en péril, l’OPC s’adresse au Premier ministre Garry Conille
Haiti power firm says main hydroelectric plant down after protest
Exclusive Interview: Haiti’s ‘Barbecue’ on Revolution, Western Media & More
Presidential Council Struggles to Finalize the Formation of the CEP
MMAS: un premier groupe de 24 policiers et soldats jamaïcains attendus en Haïti jeudi
Belize army sends officers for long-delayed Haiti mission to Jamaica
Kenyan police taunted as they square up to Haiti’s gangs
US apologises over delayed pay to Kenyan police in Haiti
Shortages and delays hit morale of Kenyan officers in Haiti
US military to deliver 24 more armored vehicles to Kenyan police in Haiti
“Une mutation de la MMAS en mission de l’ONU permettrait de mobiliser plus de moyens financiers”, selon Diego Da Rin
La BID accueille les acteurs du forcing pour le renouvellement de la loi Hope/Help
La sécurité et les élections au cœur d’un forum de la diaspora haïtienne à Washington
USA Presents Itself as Facilitator for “Normal Relations Between the Dominican Republic and Haiti”
Blinken urges Haiti to set up council that would organize elections next year
Les allégations de corruption ” affectent le CPT “, a dit le président Leblanc au secrétaire d’État Blinken
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