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Haiti's new interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert holds a glass with a drink after a transitional council took power with the aim of returning stability to the country, where gang violence has caused chaos and misery, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti April 25, 2024.
New chapter for Haiti as Henry steps down
Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry formally resigned on Thursday to be replaced by Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who will work with a newly sworn in transitional council. Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been ravaged by gang violence and effectively without a prime minister since March 12.
Get up to speed: Henry agreed to step down last month after gangs blocked his reentry to the country from Kenya, where he was trying to secure a multinational security force to assist him in restoring law and order to the country.
Many of the gangs are led by a man named Jimmy Chérizier, aka Barbecue. They have taken advantage of the power vacuum left by Henry’s absence and are now in control of about 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and large swaths of the country. Barbecue said last month he would consider laying down weapons if armed groups were allowed to take part in talks to establish the new government.
Boisvert and thenine-member council, of which seven have voting powers, have a steep climb to tackle the gang violence. The council will appoint a provisional electoral commission, a requirement before elections can take place, and establish a national security council.Graphic Truth: One island, two realities
Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, has been engulfed in violent gang warfare and without a leader since its former prime minister, Ariel Henry, was barred reentry to the country on March 12. Henry formally resigned on Thursday, and a new transitional government was sworn in.
The chaos has triggered a major wave of internal displacement, putting its border with the Dominican Republic, in a state of crisis. The Dominican Republic has doubled down on border security in response, but relations between the two countries, which share the island of Hispaniola, have long been complex.
Haiti was once the richest colony in the world. But under French rule, the island suffered from severe deforestation, leading to soil erosion, reduced agricultural productivity, and increased vulnerability to natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. When the Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti in 1844, it introduced reforestation programs that – along with its mountain ranges – have helped it develop a more sustainable agricultural sector. But Haiti's drier land and less fertile soil have made agriculture more challenging.
While the economies of the two countries were comparable in the mid-20th century, the Dominican economy gradually improved over the subsequent decades, while Haiti, long plagued by political instability, has seen its economy deteriorate.
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship searching for two MSDF helicopters in waters east of Torishima Island in the Izu Island chain in the Pacific after they crashed.
Hard Numbers: Japanese helicopter crash, Violence spreads in Sudan, Biden resumes deportations to Haiti, Protests against mass tourism in Canary Islands
2: Two Japanese navy helicopters crashed over the weekend during nighttime training in the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo, leaving one dead and seven missing. Officials believe it’s “highly likely” that the two choppers collided. The US pledged its support after the crash, offering to help with the search and rescue. Japan in recent years has boosted defense spending and strengthened military cooperation with the US amid concerns over China’s ambitions in the region.
800,000: Top UN officials on Friday warned that Sudan’s civil war was placing 800,000 people in the city of El Fasher in “extreme and immediate danger.” Fighting there could “unleash bloody intercommunal strife throughout Darfur,” says UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo. The war in Sudan, which just entered its second year, has displaced eight million people and left 25 million in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
50: The US on Thursday restarted deportation flights to Haiti, which has been consumed by deadly gang violence, sending about 50 Haitians back to the Caribbean nation. The move was fervently decried by rights groups and faced pushback from some Democratic lawmakers in Washington. President Joe Biden has felt pressure to take a stronger approach to illegal immigration as Republicans zero in on the issue of border security amid an election year.
14 million: Tens of thousands of people in the Canary Islands took to the streets on Saturday to protest against mass tourism, which they say is putting too much strain on the Spanish archipelago and driving up housing costs while depleting resources. Last year, nearly 14 million people visited the Canary Islands, which is home to 2.2 million people. The protesters called for authorities to limit the number of visitors and place more restrictions on property purchases by foreigners, among other steps.
Detectives pose in front of the truck used in the Toronto Pearson International Airport gold heist as they give details of the arrests made one year on in Brampton, Ontario, on April 17, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Police make a golden catch, Canada hikes capital gains tax, Haiti names transitional council, Boats wait on Baltimore, Indigenous groups eye energy investments
22.5 million: Police have cracked the case of the biggest gold heist in Canadian history, arresting six people in the $22.5 million caper that involved the theft of a container at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport last year. Two of the suspects were employees of Air Canada.
⅔: No gains, no pain! Canada’s new federal budget increases the tax rate on capital gains from one-half to two-thirds for some payers. The measure, which applies to businesses and individuals whose capital gains earnings exceed $250,000, is projected to net about $19 billion over the next five years.
7: Haiti on Tuesday named the 7 voting members of a transitional council that is charged with selecting a successor to Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry, who was unable to return to violence-wracked Haiti following a trip last month to secure international aid, has pledged to resign once the council picks a new PM. The council’s mandate runs until 2026, but it is still unclear when it will actually take power. Last month, Canada dispatched troops to Jamaica to help train an international policing mission for Haiti.
3: After a boat crash brought down a bridge at the entrance to Baltimore’s harbor last month, interrupting shipping at one of North America’s busiest ports, the city opened two alternative shipping channels to accommodate cargo boats. Shipping giant Maersk has said those aren’t deep enough, but there is intrigue afoot: The company also said it had seen unconfirmed reports of a third channel set to open later this month that would be deep enough, and that it was waiting for local authorities to confirm. The ball’s in your port, Baltimore.
3.6 billion: The Canadian government will make available up to $3.6 billion in preferential loan guarantees for indigenous groups that want to invest in natural resources projects. Those projects could include, for example, massive energy transport projects like the Trans Mountain or Coastal GasLink pipelines, as well as a range of renewable energy projects.
People gather as they watch from afar after an alleged gang member was killed and set on fire, amid an escalation in gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 20, 2024.
Want to stabilize the world’s worst crises? “Leave your textbook in your drawer.”
Matthew Kendrick spoke with Ghassan Salamé, the former head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, and former UN Deputy Secretary-General Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, as part of a panel at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings on Wednesday.
The international community is struggling to address half a dozen conflicts, spanning from the Middle East to Haiti, that often involve institutions poorly equipped to tackle modern problems. But that doesn’t mean they can afford to stop trying; it just means they need to get creative.
“The most urgent need is to bring back humanitarianism as a domain independent from war,” said Ghassan Salamé, the former head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, noting that the basic concerns of food, education, and healthcare must not be held hostage to military objectives. “And you cannot apply it in a selective way. You have to apply it in Ukraine with the same strength you do in Gaza.”
Bias in attention is especially stark for Sudan, where just 3.2% of humanitarian needs have been funded despite a brutal civil war that has killed over 15,000 and forced a staggering 8.2 million to flee.
“Indifference is much worse than hostility,” said Salamé. “Sudan needs concern.”
Part of the problem, according to former UN Deputy Secretary-General Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, is that “humanitarianism was based on the idea that conflict is temporary, and then you go back to development.” That means when the shooting starts, the IMF and World Bank tend to back away and wait for the dust to settle before starting to help stabilize the affected economy. That just won’t fly in the 21st century, and Malloch-Brown called for the institutions to develop new tools to provide help before, during, and after a country falls into violence to strengthen key unifying institutions, such as ministries of finance, education, and social welfare.
The key, said Salamé, is to “leave your textbook somewhere in your drawer and try to solve the situation as it is.”
Looking at crises in developing countries along longer trajectories can help highlight their hidden potential. When asked how these new approaches could apply to Haiti, where the formal government has all but collapsed, Malloch-Brown said the country “never had the degree of internal development, social reform, or inclusive economic policies that allow a stable polity to emerge.” If Haiti receives “a persistent period of tender love and care,” he added, its economic potential means “I’m optimistic enough to believe it can be fixed.”
Firefighters work at the site where a building collapsed following the earthquake, in Hualien, Taiwan, in this handout provided by Taiwan's National Fire Agency on April 3, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Taiwan earthquake, Ukrainian drone strikes, Sisi’s third term, Exodus from Haiti’s capital, Africa’s youngest elected leader
7.4: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake, followed by several mighty aftershocks, struck Taiwan on Wednesday. The quake killed nine people, injured at least 821, damaged buildings and infrastructure, and triggered mudslides. It was the largest to hit the country in 25 years and was also felt in parts of China.
800: Ukraine on Tuesday carried out drone attacks over 800 miles into Russian territory in the Tatarstan region, striking Russia’s third-largest oil refinery and a drone factory. With the war against its next-door neighbor in its third year, Ukraine has ramped up drone strikes inside Russia.
89.6: President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt on Tuesday was sworn in for a third six-year term after being reelected in December against several unknown candidates who never really stood a chance. Sisi, who has frequently been criticized by rights groups over his authoritarian tendencies, garnered 89.6% of the vote in an election victory he described as a rebuke of the “inhumane war” in Gaza.
53,000: The situation in Haiti is dire. Gang violence has led over 53,000 people to flee the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, in less than three weeks. The UN warned that most are heading to rural areas that don’t have the infrastructure or resources to deal with a large influx of people.
19: From prison to the presidency… Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in as Senegal’s new president on Tuesday, just 19 days after his release from prison. The 44 year old, who was arrested for alleged defamation last year, is Africa’s youngest democratically elected leader. Faye won the election in a landslide and is promising “systemic change.”
A Canadian soldier stands guard by the Canadian embassy as violence spreads and armed gangs expand their control over the capital, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 29, 2024.
Canada dispatches troops to train Haiti mission
On Saturday, around 70 Canadian troops arrived in Jamaica at Kingston’s request to begin training some 330 soldiers from Jamaica, Belize, and the Bahamas in preparation for an expected Kenyan-led deployment to Haiti. Canada notably helped define the concept of UN peacekeeping, and this initial deployment – which came at the request of Jamaica’s government – is expected to last a month.
Haiti has been in a state of de facto anarchy for over a month since gangs seized key infrastructure while unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry was in Nairobi trying to sign the deal.
Police have effectively lost control of the country, and ordinary citizens have begun turning to vigilantism to protect themselves from heavily armed gangs. On Friday, people near the city of Mirebalais, located to the northeast of Port-au-Prince, “hacked to death” two men suspected of buying weapons for gang members. Police reportedly fired warning shots that did not stop the murder.
A UN report published Thursday found that self-defense organizations have been responsible for at least 59 such killings this year. That same report found Haiti would need the help of 4,000 to 5,000 foreign police officers to reestablish order. But the number of officers who might be dispatched remains unclear, with Kenya having pledged 1,000, Benin 2,000, the Bahamas 150, and unspecified numbers from other countries.
Nairobi has been clear it will not deploy before Haiti’s transitional presidential council is seated to replace the outgoing Henry. The council has been delayed by weeks of politicking, but its membership finally seems set, and we will be watching as it officially takes the reins in the coming days.People take cover from gunfire near the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 21, 2024.
North Americans struggle to flee chaos in Haiti
Both the US and Canadian governments are facing challenges getting their citizens out of Haiti, and neither country seems to be making any headway toward a plan to reduce the chaos and violence in the Caribbean country.
The airport in Port-au-Prince has been closed since March 4, when heavily armed gangs attacked. The attack was repelled, but international carriers stopped providing service — leaving many foreigners stranded and fearful as gangs control the streets.
Both Canada and the US have resorted to helicopter flights to get people to the neighboring Dominican Republic. A spokesperson for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Jolysaid Tuesday that 36 had been choppered out. Some Americans are exiting via harrowing helicopter flights as others fly out on commercial flights from the airport at Cap-Haitien, where the security situation is better than in the chaos-consumed capital.
There has been no progress in re-establishing security. A police force from Kenya has agreed to go in, but it can’t do so without a mandate from a functioning government, and the unelected prime minister announced he would resign under pressure after the airport attack. US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitmanon Tuesday said that the Kenyan police can’t go to Haiti until they are trained, the US sets up a base for them and the necessary structures are put in place to manage the finances for the mission.
The head of Unicef said Tuesday that 125,000 children are at risk of severe malnutrition unless order is soon restored.
There is no sign that the violence will come to an end without outside intervention. Former US Ambassador James B. Foley wrote in the Washington Postthis week that Biden may be forced to order a brief US intervention for humanitarian reasons, although he would surely rather stay out of it.