The eminent advisory group set up by Caricom will be in the country again from Wednesday,
December 6, 2023, through Thursday, December 14, 2023, to try one more time to convince all
stakeholders to come up with a consensus on how to move the country forward. This visit is their
fourth in less than a month because some opposition parties have rejected their most recent proposal.
The proposal put forward by the group during their previous visit and working session was rejected by
some parties because, according to them, the proposal failed to include a sticking point: the resignation
of interim Prime Minster Ariel Henry in the negotiations. This has been the position of former Prime
Minister Claude Joseph and his EDE political party did not agree with all the group’s proposals.
Though they welcome the Caricom advisors and are willing to meet with them again next week, they
believe there’s still work to be done before an effective constitutional order can be restored. Beyond the
resignation of the interim PM, the group also calls for appointing a new Prime Minister and forming a
transitional council with presidential powers to ensure a balance of power. The party agrees with the
Caricom advisory group for the creation of a body that checks on government action, Organisme de
Contrôle and Action Gouvernementale (OCAG) disagrees with the creation of a coordinating and
supervisory committee for the conduct and operations of the multinational security support mission
because they think this task should fall under the joint responsibilities of the National Security Council
and the supreme court, CSPN. They also agree to the 18-month transitional period and constitutional
reforms the Caricom advisory group proposed.
But Danio Siriack sees the issue differently. According to the spokesperson for the OPL party, which is
a signatory to the Kingston Declaration, they are more focused on local efforts to address the crisis.
During the party’s last general meetings, it became clear that they were willing to accept any locally
generated proposal. Any political agreement reached between Haitian actors around the fundamental
interests of the Haitian people is always welcome. The Force Louverturienne Réformiste party has been
less critical. According to their leader, Emmanuel Ménard, they agree with the transition framework
project of the Caricom advisory group as an approach that can be considered a basis for discussions and
with elements that can facilitate actual political negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Liné
Balthazar of Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale (PHTK), also a signatory of the Kingston Declaration, has a
different position on the Caricom envoys 39: political agreement proposal. To them, the Caricom
proposal does not reflect what the signatories of the Kingston Declaration had expressed. Still, they are
willing to discuss with Caricom its proposal, which appears to be among others. He believes that Prime
Minister Ariel Henry’s fate should depend on the outcome of the negotiations. They proposed a five-
member Transitional Council and entities to appoint these members, while the Caricom proposed a
seven-member Transitional Council. He believes that the Caricom agreement proposal is partisan and
close to the signatories of the December 21 agreement, while the signatories of the December 21
agreement in power are perfectly aligned with the Caricom envoys; agreement proposal. Since the
assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, political actors have been unable to agree on
the future of the country. With this fourth mission, in five months, the Caricom Eminent Persons Group
will again try to sensitize the stakeholders to the urgent need to reach an agreement to lift the country
out of the crisis.
Elsewhere, instructors at the police academy observed a work stoppage yesterday to protest what they
say is the government’s inaction on attacks on the police by armed gangs in the area around the
academy that have increasingly been bold and operating with impunity. Eyewitnesses report the
instructors present on the job but have refused to conduct lessons until their demand for security has
been met by the government. Recently, two police instructors were attacked by armed gangs who took
away their motorcycles. The work stoppage has severe implications for current recruits and aspiring
police officers who are expected to complete training in time to help the already ailing and under-
resourced police force. On Friday, June 18, 2021, police inspector Emmanuel Silencieux Jeanty was

gunned down on Route des Freres in Petionville, while on Friday afternoon, November 25, 2022, in the
same neighborhood, the Divisional Commissioner Harington Rigaud, who was the Director of the
Police Academy, was also gunned down. Overall, from January to October 2023, 32 police officers
nationally have been killed by armed gangs, according to statistics compiled by the police union,
Syndicat National des policiers haïtiens (Synapoha). In the 21 months that he’s been in office, there
have been 84 police officers killed nationwide, an average of 4 police officers killed per month, while
the images of the killings are posted on social media by the criminals who go unpunished.
Dela Harlley