Deputy U.S. Secretary of State visits Haiti

Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Landau visited Port-au-Prince on Friday on a last-minute trip during which he observed a shooting exercise involving members of the newly created Gang Suppression Force, which has yet to be fully deployed, and met with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé.

Landau’s visit comes at a particularly difficult moment for Fils-Aimé and residents of the capital and surrounding regions, where armed gangs have been tightening their grip and expanding their control; the country’s long-overdue elections increasingly look unlikely to take place this year.

The day before Landau’s arrival, the United Nations reported that nearly 1.5 million people had been uprooted across the country this month amid a deadly surge in gang violence that had also displaced more than 300,000 people in metropolitan Port-au-Prince. The unprecedented displacements in the West region are primarily due to armed clashes in the neighborhood of Cité Soleil in March and May, the U.N. said. Fighting is also driving continued displacement in the nearby Artibonite region.

Aside from the surging violence, the prime minister is facing criticism from political parties over proposed electoral reforms that would increase the number of registered members political parties must have to field candidates for the presidency and Parliament. Also under debate is how to address the issue of individuals sanctioned by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

In a statement announcing the trip, which includes an overnight stop in the neighboring Dominican Republic, the State Department said Landau planned to discuss bilateral cooperation and security priorities with Fils-Aimé.

“The deputy secretary will also engage with personnel in the Haitian national police and the U.N.-authorized Gang Suppression Force to reaffirm U.S. commitment to Haiti’s stability,” the statement said.

During the visit, a new class of 1, 192 police recruits, including 238 women, graduated from the National Police Academy as part of a U.S.-funded effort to expand the country’s force.

Last year the U.S. created and backed the new gang-fighting force to replace the struggling Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission, which struggled to stabilize Haiti amid equipment shortages, limited troop deployments and insufficient international financial support.

Currently, just under 1,000 troops are in Haiti. The gang-fighting force soldiers have spent the past two weeks undergoing in-country training before launching operations on Monday. The force is not expected to reach its full strength of 5,000 until October.

After his visit to Haiti, Landau traveled to Santo Domingo, where he is scheduled to meet with President Luis Abinader and members of his administration to discuss bilateral relations and regional priorities. He will also meet with private-sector leaders to discuss areas of mutual economic and commercial interest, the State Department said.

Jacqueline Charles

Miami Herald

Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.