Here's What’s Really Going on in Haiti
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After Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021, every bit of news about the country has been coded with chaos and disruption - the latest being a gang coalition determined to overthrow the government.
There’s a lot to follow with what’s going on but here’s a breakdown to help you stay up to speed.
The Assassination
In July 2021, U.S. prosecutors say hired mercenaries were deployed to kidnap and/or kill President Moïse, per The Associated Press. The group located the president’s private residence near Port-au-Prince and opened fire for at least 30 minutes before locating the president and his wife, Martine, in their bedroom, she told investigators. Mrs. Moïse said she found her husband dead on the bed with his left eye removed from its socket.
Mrs. Moïse along with ex-prime minister Claude Joseph, former Haiti National Police Chief Léon Charles and a slew of others were indicted for allegedly conspiring to have the president removed from power or killed, per AP’s report. Three suspects were extradited to the U.S. with another 11 suspects for federal prosecution.
Whole Lotta Gang Ish
The country had to declare a state of emergency last month after a band of armed gang members raided a prison releasing over 4,000 inmates, per The Independent.
Those gang members are being led by Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, leader of G9 that has since collaborated with every other gang force (about 200 of them) in the country taking control of about 80 percent of the capital over the past few years, according to the U.N.
Barbecue’s goal? To overthrow the government and make it into the “model government” he and his allies desire, per USA TODAY.
Haiti’s Most Unwanted
After Moïse was killed, Ariel Henry was hired as the de facto Prime Minister of Haiti. He remained in power by postponing elections (the last one being in 2017 when Moïse was elected) and placing a heavier focus on Haiti’s security.
However, during his time in power, the violence led by Chérizier and his goons only got worse, per USA TODAY. His tirade to overthrow “corrupt” politicians was at the cost of 1 million Haitian children not going to school, increase in senseless murders and kidnappings, the displacement of hundreds of families as well as triggering a drought and famine, per the U.N.
Opps from Other Places
Upon their latest violent spout, Henry took an emergency trip to Kenya to seal the deal on an agreement to have their troops deployed to help control the violence.
The U.S. has also pledged to spend $300 million in funds to support the Kenyan security operation, per The Independent. Kenya was prepared to deploy 1,000 soldiers to Haiti but... their plans just got put on pause.
Where’s Prime Minister Henry?
The declaration of the Kenya-Haiti alliance triggered another violent uprising forcing Haiti’s airports to stop all international flights and leaving Henry stranded in Puerto Rico as multiple officials called for his resignation - including Mr. BBQ who threatened a civil war and genocide if he didn’t step down, per CBS News.
Under the pressure, Henry resigned and the country is continuing its spiral. Upon Henry’s resignation, Kenya said they paused sending security assistance unless a “sitting government” was in place.
