Port-au-Prince, Jan 1 (EFE).- On Jan. 1, Haiti celebrated 220 years of independence in the midst of an unprecedented political, social, economic and humanitarian crisis that presents a bleak outlook for the country’s 11 million people.
Haiti’s independence celebrations were not held as usual in Gonaïves – known as the Cité de l’indépendance – but at the National Pantheon Museum (Mupanah) on the Champ de Mars in Port-au-Prince, not far from the National Palace.
“2024 is a decisive year in our history. It is a year in which we will have to face great challenges. In 2024, Haiti must take back the reins of its destiny,” said Prime Minister Ariel Henry during the ceremony.
2024, a year of rebirth?
Henry affirmed that in 2024 “we must do everything possible to put Haiti back on the path of democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law,” noting that the solution lies in creating a climate of peace so that elections can be held.
He also addressed the problem of hunger, the omnipresence of gangs and the need for water for agriculture.
“I repeat, the Haitian people can count on the government to continue defending Haiti’s interests in the equitable use of all water resources on the border,” said Henry, in an apparent reference to Haiti’s construction of a canal to divert water from the Masacre or Dajabón River, the natural border separating it from the Dominican Republic, which the latter country’s authorities say is “illegal.”
A chaotic 2023 The past year in Haiti has been marked by massacres, urban warfare, kidnappings, armed assaults, robberies and gang rapes against civilians, with total indifference on the part of the authorities.
The government has repeatedly appealed to the international community to send troops to help restore peace and security in the country.
More than 37 police officers have been killed, according to the police union. According to the United Nations, more than 200,000 people have been displaced. Hundreds of these displaced people are living in inhumane conditions in unsuitable makeshift camps.
Several thousand Haitians have left the country, mostly for the United States, Canada, Mexico and Nicaragua, fleeing unrelenting insecurity and poverty. Among those leaving in droves are university professors, graduate students, public and private sector executives, and doctors.
A country without an elected leader
Haiti has been without an elected leader since 2021, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse as Henry has been unable to organize elections.
Numerous negotiations between different sectors in Haiti and abroad have failed.
Meanwhile, there are between 200 and 300 armed groups in the country, controlling 80% of the capital and strategic economic zones such as the main highways.
In October, the UN Security Council approved the formation of a multinational security force to assist the Haitian National Police in confronting the armed gangs and restoring order. Kenya will lead this contingent, which will be joined by other countries. EFE
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