Jeffries warns Haiti crisis ‘a human rights emergency’

As gangs take greater control of Haiti, United States Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries warned recently that the crisis in the French-speaking Caribbean country is “a human rights emergency.”

“The security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous,” said Jeffries, who represents the 8th Congressional District that encompasses parts of Brooklyn and Queens, with a heavy concentration of Caribbean immigrants, including Haitians.

“The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding represents both a human rights emergency for people in Haiti and a pressing threat to security and stability across the Western Hemisphere,” he added.

Jeffries has also written Speaker of the US House of Representatives Republican Mike Johnson, warning of the “humanitarian catastrophe” unfolding in Haiti.

“Recognizing the imperative to engage with our Caribbean neighbors on issues related to our geopolitical and national security, I was honored to lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation to participate in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Conference last summer. It became all the more evident there that our collective future will be safer and more prosperous because of the multilateral partnerships that bind CARICOM and our Hemisphere together,” Jeffries told Johnson.

He noted that, amid the rising unrest in Haiti, CARICOM nations have worked with Haitian stakeholders to chart a “responsible course toward political transition and, eventually, free and fair elections.”

In order to create the security environment necessary for Haitian self-determination and to protect the Haitian people from growing violent crime, Jeffries also noted that the Biden-Harris administration has supported the creation of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.

He said the government of Kenya has “admirably stepped up” to facilitate the MSS with support from nations like Canada, Germany, France, Spain and Benin, as well as Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica and Barbados.

“It is imperative that the United States ensures they have the resources to complete the mission,” said Jeffries in his letter to Johnson. “However, months have passed since Secretary (of State) Antony Blinken notified Chairman Michael McCaul of his intent to support the MSS effort.

“The situation on the ground in Haiti has rapidly deteriorated, while House Republicans have refused to deliver the resources necessary to carry out this mission,” he added. “Now is the time to release the full US$50 million in security support.

“It is not in America’s national security interests to hold up the transfer of funds that support security stabilization in Haiti, particularly given the present crisis on the ground,” continued the US House Democratic Leader, stating that Blinken has “heeded the urgency of recent events” and joined regional leaders in Jamaica last week to tackle the crisis.

Jeffries told Johnson that the US “Congress must join the Biden administration in their crucial work and meet the moment by fulfilling our essential responsibility to ensure security in the Western Hemisphere and release the full $50 million funding allocation forthwith.”

On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, issued a Security Alert for US citizens currently in Haiti.

“Do not make plans to travel into Haiti,” the Embassy warned. “For US citizens currently in Haiti, the US government is arranging departures from the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic via helicopter.

“Travelers will need to make their own onward travel plans from the Dominican Republic,” it added.  “The overland trip into Port-au-Prince is dangerous. The Embassy recommends you consider the US Embassy Port-au-Prince flights only if you believe you can reach the embassy safely.”

On Tuesday, the United Nations also said that humanitarians continue to deliver aid in Haiti, where the situation in Port-au-Prince remains tense and volatile in the face of escalating gang violence and political instability.

The UN said that its children’s agency UNICEF and partners have delivered over 242,000 gallons of water since early March, while the World Food Program (WFP) and partners have provided over 146,000 hot meals.

The UN also said people traumatized by the recent violence are also receiving psychosocial support.

The UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, noted that schools, hospitals and government buildings in the capital continue to be attacked, with many having curtailed their operations.

The public electricity company recently reported that several substations in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area were destroyed, leaving several areas without power.

The UN said the situation remains unstable in Haiti following the recent resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, particularly in the communes of Carrefour, Port-au-Prince and Cité Soleil, while the airport, schools and health facilities remain closed in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.