Gangs attack Jamaica’s Consulate Services office in Haiti

The Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kamina Johnson Smith, has reported that Jamaica has suspended consulate services in Haiti because its consulate offices located in the nation’s capital, Port- au-Prince, came under attack last Monday night. In Johnson-Smith’s message to the Jamaica public, the minister said the Consulate offices, which are in the vicinity of the “Sun Auto Car Dealership” and within the proximity of the United States Embassy offices, were set ablaze and thoroughly ransacked by criminal gangs.

The minister further described the attack as a setback that “hardened our resolve in returning to the peace and prosperity the Haitian people want.”  According to the minister of foreign sffairs, the “Sun Auto Car Dealership” area has now become a red zone where gang members have been wreaking havoc. In commenting on the safety of the public, Minister Johnson Smith said that it is been threatened and the services are indefinitely suspended.

Johnson Smith has expressed sympathies to the owner of the dealership and to Jamaica’s Honorary Consul in Haiti, Daniel Rouzier.

Noting also is the timing of the gang attack; one that is coincidental and “it raised suspicions,” that as the Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry and his delegation were in Kingston, Jamaica visiting the office of the Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, and  trying to resolve a path toward elections and governance, as the continued violence by gang members threatens the future of Haiti and its people.  In addition, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has also visited Jamaica recently to hold  meetings with Prime Minister Holness, to enhance a bi-lateral agreement, and to reiterate the request for additional assistance from the international community as they try to tackle the escalating problems in Haiti. The discussion focused on the continued violence by the gangs, which threatened the future of the country and the lives of the Haitian people.