The Haitian crisis has now taken center stage at most international forums in recent days, with world leaders discussing how to move forward in addressing the problem that has taken a turn for the worse. This was the case in Brazil at the sidelines of the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers and at Munich, in Germany, where the world conference on security is taking place. At the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken plans to discuss the multinational security support mission (MMAS) to Haiti and where necessary, specific resource mobilization meeting will be held to let the Kenyan led mission to take off. Taking part in this meeting will be representatives from the European Union and the African union. The meeting of Heads of state is slated for July 2024 also in Brazil. 

While the Secretary of State is in Rio, Vice President Kamal Harris on the other hand is in Munich where the largest forum on security issues around the world, trying hard to get a commitment from its partners to support the mission to Haiti. There was a special panel entitled “Spotlight on Haiti” which was moderated by the president of the Munich conference Christoph Heusgen. In her talks, the US Vice President insisted that alongside the major global problems that the world is facing, it is a moral and strategic interest to do what can be done for Haiti. According to her, they have spoken to their partners who have the most resources, the G7 countries (7 richest countries) and others, that it will be an expensive operation, where they’ll probably put up the largest share in terms of money but need the contribution of other partners.

At the Munich meeting, Monica Juma, Kenya’s national security advisor, expressed her confidence in the success of the operation and insisted that the solidarity expressed by several countries be transformed into concrete support for the mission. To her, time is running out, because 4 months have already passed since the mission was authorized. Former DR special envoy to the UN Security council. José Singer warned that if the funding is not obtained quickly, there’s a likelihood for an all-out war in the country, with dire consequences for the region as a whole and the potential for the country lapsing into a hotbed of international terrorism, because the symptoms are already being seen in the country. 

Tirana Hassan, who heads Human Rights Watch, HRW, who also attended the conference, pleaded in favor of a holistic response to the multidimensional crisis, insisting on solution not only looking at the security issue but also the humanitarian and human rights crises as well, because the operation will only succeed if there’s the logistical and financial that support necessary to enable the mission to play its role with a holistic approach. Involving local civil society and local communities should be included by putting in place some kind of system that allows them to report all kinds of problems and potential abuses. The UN Assistant Secretary General, Elizabeth Spehar supports this position and added that there’s the need to prepare the ground for the implementation of a large-scale peacebuilding activities because without this, there cannot be stability. 

In other news, the widow of former President Jovenel Moïse, first lady Martine Moïse, and several of her collaborators who have been singled out in his assassination plot were indicted. In a statement, the sitting judge, Judge Walther Wesser Voltaire, who instructed the investigation into this assassination, declared that there were consistent charges and sufficient evidence capable of justifying the responsibilities of the following personalities in the assassination: Martine Moïse, Dr Claude Joseph, Jeantel Joseph, Léon Charles, Ardouin Zéphirin, Rénald Lubérice, Louis Edner Gonzague Day, Jean Laguel Civil, Dimitri Hérard, among others. These people are in one way or another, linked with the assassinated head of state. They will have to face justice in this case. Martine Moïse, who was injured in the attack in which her husband was killed, has not made any statements about the allegations but in recent days went on social media to denounce what she called “unjust arrests” and a “never-ending persecution”. It is not known where she currently lives. But the media and most people in the country have lamented the fact that while the lengthy legal document charges 51 people, it fails to identify who ordered and financed President Moïse’s assassination.

In other news, gang activities in Cite Soleil have hampered the functioning of hospitals in the area, according to UN Office of humanitarian affairs. The L’hôpital de Chancerelles, la Clinique Méthodiste and the Medical Center in La Saline are among those that are no longer able to operate because of the violence from armed gangs. This situation severely affects children and pregnant women, who are vulnerable and heavily impacted by the armed violence in the capital. In January 2024, at least 71 civilians were killed, and 87 others injured at La Saline. The L’hôpital Fontaine in Cité Soleil has been forced to suspend certain services, while l’hôpital Bennett in La Saline is occupied by gangs.

Additionally, medical services are facing disruptions, mainly limited to emergency care. 15 schools, including La Saline high school and Les Papillons school, are currently closed. At least 290,000 children, out of the 420,000 targeted, have been deprived of school meals, due to the closure of schools or the inability of the World Food Program (WFP) to access these establishments across Port-au-Prince. In a press release dated Thursday, February 15, 2024, the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations (UN) calls for unimpeded humanitarian access and the free movement of food products to avoid catastrophic levels of hunger in the country.