90+ groups tell Biden to 'listen to Haitian civil society,' reject military intervention

More than 90 organizations this week urged U.S. President Joe Biden to “reject the imposition of an international military intervention in Haiti which will merely perpetuate and strengthen the anti-democratic system that is responsible for today’s conditions.”

The Caribbean nation has been in a state of crisis since the July 2021 presidential assassination and a devastating earthquake and hurricane. Last month, acting Prime Minister and President Ariel Henry called for foreign military intervention, provoking protests.

The October 31 letter to Biden has received support from civil society, diaspora, faith-based, humanitarian, and peacebuilding organizations “with strong ties to the Haitian grassroots” that are concerned about the proposed deployment, which the U.S. has been seeking another country to lead.

“We are acutely aware of the dire situation on the ground in Haiti,” the letter states. “Nearly half the country is facing severe food insecurity and limited access to clean water; cholera, introduced by U.N. peacekeepers more than a decade ago, has rapidly reemerged; and fuel—critical to basic life, including water purification and electronic communication—is unavailable or prohibitively expensive. Compounding these issues, violence and insecurity have reached exceptional levels, and have particularly affected women, children, and the most marginalized.”

The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child on Tuesday highlighted the “triple threat of cholera, malnutrition, and violence” in Haiti, also pointing out that many children have been unable to attend school and live in fear of being forced into a gang.

In response to recent gang violence across Haiti, the U.N. Security Council last month adopted a resolution featuring sanctions against Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, a former police officer who leads the gang alliance G9 Family and Allies, which has been blocking a fuel terminal in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

The new letter says that “the imposition of a United Nations sanctions regime targeting not just leaders of armed groups but also those who support such groups with financing, arms, and ammunition, is a welcome but insufficient step.”

“The U.S can and should go further through the enforcement of U.S. laws on illicit arms trafficking, money laundering, and tax evasion, with a particular focus on those actors that are contributing to the violence,” the letter continues. “We also urge your administration to halt all deportations and expulsions to Haiti and redesignate Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).”

Discouraging military intervention, the letter pressures Biden to “listen to Haitian civil society; respect the fundamental rights of the Haitian people to shape Haitian solutions; and reevaluate U.S. support to the de facto Prime Minister Henry, as that unconditional support has removed any incentive for him to negotiate with opponents in good faith.”

According to the coalition’s letter to Biden, “At the heart of the insecurity plaguing Haiti is the continuation of a political and economic system that excludes the vast majority of its citizenry.”

“A long-term solution can only be possible by addressing these underlying dynamics of inequality and exclusion and by providing for the population as a whole,” the letter asserts.

Originally published at Commondreams.org.