Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders spent much of Sunday at bloc headquarters in Guyana trying to break the political deadlock in Haiti, but it appears that they might have to ask Prime Minister Ariel Henry at some point to think about stepping aside, as opposition and civil society groups remain bitterly opposed to his presence as head of government of the strife-torn nation.
Frustration was obvious during interviews with several leaders after a lengthy meeting before their four-day conference in Georgetown. Several hinted about the difficulty of breaking the stalemate with Henry remaining at the helm.
If Henry is asked to step down, how the country will proceed without a prime minister and a president after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse remains unclear. Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell said the situation is frustrating because progress is being thwarted by the continued refusal of opposition and other groups to deal with and or recognize Henry as prime minister.
“Many of the opposition groups are opposed to the prime minister, but for the international community, it would be difficult to see what will happen if you remove the present prime minister. There needs to be a political solution, but moving forward is not going as forward as expected,” Mitchell said.
“They want Henry removed,” he added.
The situation in Haiti, the most populous and poorest Caricom member state, is expected to dominate the agenda at the summit. As an indication of how seriously the effort to break the deadlock is being taken, the Biden administration has sent United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield for a dedicated session with leaders on Monday. “Haiti is the only topic; nothing else, really,” Mitchell said.
Discussion about how to push forward in Haiti has come less than a week after the international community held a donor-pledging conference in Brazil to raise funds for a multinational peacekeeping force to be deployed to the country in the coming weeks. Reports indicate that around $100 million was tabled at the conference while the U.S. has pledged an additional $200 million to get things started.
However, Bahamian Prime Minister Phillip Davis told the Amsterdam News that the Caricom bloc thinks “we would need a ballpark figure of around $600 million per annum” to maintain the force and to help stabilize a country where heavily armed gangs are roaming, killing people, looting stores, extorting from business owners, and paralyzing life in some districts.
Phillips said the situation in neighboring Haiti is “a threat to our national security as well,” with hundreds of scared locals arriving on Bahamian shores in rickety vessels as economic migrants, while dozens of others drown on the high seas in trying to escape the violence.
Henry, who heads to Kenya after the Guyana summit to wrap up preparations for the multinational force, said fresh elections cannot be held in less than 18 months. This will, no doubt, create more uncertainty as daily violent protests calling for his removal are likely to continue once he is head of government. He had signed an agreement to organize elections and hand over power by February 7, but no real effort has been made to do so.
Critics say that the U.S., which is trying to stabilize the situation there, is the one propping up his regime. Henry said calls for his removal are a power grab by the opposition, and urged “everyone to work together” to bring about peace. He has vowed not to compete in any fresh elections that might be organized in the coming months.
Meanwhile, current block chair and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said the region has to remain focused on solving the problems of its fellow member nation.
“Today [Sunday], we spent most of this morning on the very issue of Haiti. We are committed as a region (to) ensuring that the people of Haiti can also realize their full potential in peace, security, and with good governance. We owe it to the people of Haiti. Anything that impedes the interest of the people of Haiti is of immense concern for the leadership of this region,” he said.
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