Bichotte Hermelyn calls for ‘united front’ to aid Haiti amid escalating violence

Haitian-American Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn on Tuesday called for a “united front” to aid Haiti amid escalating violence.

“I join our Haitian communities here and across the nation in praying for the safety of the Haitian people and for the humanitarian relief they deserve,” New York State Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the daughter of Haitian immigrants, told the Caribbean Life.

“Let’s not forget that this is a global crisis,” added Bichotte Hermelyn, chairperson of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. “Haiti has a sizable diaspora, with over 730,000 immigrants in the United States alone.

“With the resignation of Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the nation is further spiraling into a violent humanitarian crisis, and I hope with all my heart that the Transitional Presidential Council allows for a smooth transition to peace and stability,” continued Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents the 42nd Assembly District with a high concentration of Haitian and other Caribbean immigrants.

Acting Haitian Prime Minister Henry announced late Monday he would resign in ceding power to a presidential council.

Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn. Office of Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte

Bichotte Hermelyn said Haiti has drawn on the resilience of its people, the work of its institutions and the assistance of supporters from its community in New York and across the United States to overcome the myriad ravages caused by waves of natural disasters and political turmoil.

“I echo calls across the globe calling for a unified front to help Haiti overcome the ravages of this tragic calamity,” she urged.

Last week, a Haitian-born legislator in Brooklyn said she was heartbroken about the spiraling chaos and despair in her native country.

“It is truly heartbreaking to watch from afar as my beloved Haiti continues to spiral into chaos and despair,” New York City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, who represents the 46th Council District in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life.

“Being born and raised in Haiti, I know first-hand the beauty and endless possibilities that exist in the nation,” added Narcisse, a registered nurse by training, who serves as chair of the New York City Council’s Committee on Hospitals, and also serves on the Committees on Health, Education, Parks and Recreation, Transportation and Infrastructure, Criminal Justice and the Subcommittee on COVID Recovery and Resiliency.

“The recent news of a mass prison break and increased gang violence underscores the urgent need for a well-managed global response to help rebuild and revitalize Haiti once and for all, allowing it to reach its full potential and fulfill the dreams of its resilient and courageous people,” continued Narcisse, who was born in Saint Marc, Haiti and migrated to the United States as a teenager, settling in Brooklyn.

She said while her influence in the Haiti crisis is “limited”, she stands “ready to assist in any meaningful and appropriate manner to support the people of Haiti.

“I remind everyone of the Haitian proverb ‘men anpil, chay pa lou,’ which translates to ‘with many hands the work is light,’” said Narcisse, whose Brooklyn district includes the neighborhoods of Bergen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island and Sheepshead Bay.

From left, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali and Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness attend an emergency meeting on Haiti at the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday, March 11, 2024. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, Pool via AP

After meeting with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the United States’s support for a proposal, developed in partnership with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Haitian stakeholders, “to expedite a political transition through a creation of a broad based, independent presidential college”, according to US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller.

“Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Holness reiterated security and stability in the Caribbean region as a shared priority of the United States and Jamaica,” Miller also said late Monday.

Earlier on Monday, Blinken thanked CARICOM Heads of Government for organizing an emergency meeting in Kingston, Jamaica “but also – and more important – for the sustained commitment that we’ve seen from everyone from around this table and people beyond this table to helping Haiti and its people in what is an extraordinarily difficult time.”

“That’s what brings us together today: a political crisis, escalating violence, unrest,” Blinken said. “This has created an untenable situation for the Haitian people.  And we all know that urgent action is needed on both the political and security tracks to help move things in a better direction to help do right by the people of Haiti.

“We support the plan to create a broad-based, inclusive, independent presidential college that would, in particular, first, take concrete steps to meet the immediate needs of the Haitian people; second, enable the swift deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission; and third, through that deployment, through a reinforced Haitian National Police, create the security conditions that are necessary to hold free and fair elections, to allow humanitarian assistance to get to people who need it, and to help put Haiti back on a path to economic opportunity and growth,” the US Secretary of State added.

Given this increasingly urgent need, he announced at the meeting that the United States Department of Defense is doubling its approved support for the proposed mission to Haiti from US$100 million to US$200 million, bringing the total US support to US$300 million for this effort.

Blinken also announced additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Haiti to the tune of US$33 million to further support their health and food security.

“Now, all of us know that only the Haitian people can, only the Haitian people should determine their own future – not anyone else.  But all of us here – CARICOM, the United States, our other partners – we can help,” he said. “We can help restore a foundation of security that can address the tremendous suffering that innocent Haitians are experiencing, and help create the conditions that will enable them to have that opportunity.”

Holness said Jamaica and CARICOM were “very, very pleased” to have Blinken at the meeting, stating that they had “many important matters to discuss – Haiti high on the agenda, but of course there are bilateral issues.”

“The United States continues to be a very strong partner, development partner for Jamaica,” Holness said. “We have very strong ties culturally, economically, to people-to-people.”

In a video posted to official government channels, Henry, speaking at an unidentified location, said late Monday that “the government that I am leading cannot remain indifferent to this situation.

“There is no sacrifice too big for our country,” he said. “My government will leave immediately after the installation of this council.”

Henry’s proposed resignation was announced earlier late Monday, at a press conference, by CARICOM Chair and President of Guyana Dr. Irfaan Ali.

“We acknowledge the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry upon the establishment of a transitional presidential council and the naming of an interim prime minister,” Ali said. “I want to pause and thank Prime Minister Henry for his service to Haiti.”

He added that the council will “hold relevant and possible powers of the Haitian presidency during the transition period until an elected government is established.”

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday that Haiti is on the brink of a devastating hunger crisis, with aid operations at risk of “grinding to a halt” amid rampant violence as Prime Minister Henry resigned on Monday and armed gangs tightened their grip on the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The lack of goods and resources is worsening an already precarious economic situation, with water and basic services being “stretched to the limit”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.

The UN Secretary-General called on all Haitian stakeholders to act responsibly and expressed appreciation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and partners’ for facilitating a way forward to resolve Haiti’s political crisis through a just-signed agreement to, among other things, appoint an interim prime minister, Dujarric said.

In Haiti, armed groups have taken control of many of the main roads, flights to Port-au-Prince have been grounded and incomes are plummeting amid a sharp rise in displacement, according to UN agencies.

The UN said gang violence has displaced more than 362,000 Haitians, over half of them children.

At least 35,000 have fled from their homes since the beginning of 2024, trying to escape the escalating crisis, the UN said.

Reports on Monday indicated that Kenya is now pausing its plans for the support force following the resignation of Henry, who had in October asked the UN Security Council to deploy a mission to restore calm amid the growing chaos wreaked by armed gangs.

WFP warned that while recent agreements between Haiti and Kenya enabling the deployment of the support mission are promising, failing to address the country’s hunger crisis could itself jeopardize efforts to restore stability.

Cindy McCain, WFP’s executive director, said the spreading violence is keeping aid workers from reaching communities in need at a time when donor funds are drying up.

“Haiti needs more than just boots on the ground,” she said. “Efforts to restore law and order must be matched by an equally effective humanitarian response to meet soaring needs.”

Currently, the US$674 million humanitarian response plan for Haiti is just two per cent funded, she said.

“Our humanitarian operation in Haiti is running on fumes, with funding for hot meals about to run out in two weeks,” McCain said. “We need donors to step up today, so we can tackle the rising tide of hunger and halt the slide into chaos.”

In Haiti, Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP country director, warned of an impending famine, stressing that there are levels of hunger in Port-au-Prince that are typically seen in war zones.

“Haiti is one of the world’s most severe food crises,” said Bauer, briefing reporters at UN Headquarters via video link from a WFP warehouse in Cap Haitien.

Food security has been fragile in Haiti since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, but today, 1.4 million people are “a step away from famine,” he said.

Describing desperate coping strategies to get enough to eat, Bauer said people are cutting down on meals and eating lower quality foods, leading to high malnutrition rates.

He also added that people are selling goods, from personal items to land, just to be able to survive.

Bauer said Haiti depends on food imports for 50 per cent of its needs.

He said while WFP has prepositioned stocks in Port-au-Prince, the city remains besieged, and “no one can go in and out.”