Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has for weeks been in the throes of chaos caused by an unprecedented deep political, economic and health crisis that paralyzes the country.
Thousands of Haitians demonstrated in Port-au-Prince on Monday to protest the government and its request for foreign assistance to address endemic insecurity, a humanitarian crisis and a new wave of cholera.
President Henry formally asked, on 7 October during the last summit of theOrganization of American States (OSA), the help of the international armed forces to restore order in Haiti canceled by insecurity and famine. The request, signed by 19 members of Henry's government, affirms their concern at the risk of a serious humanitarian crisis partly caused by armed gangs and calls for "the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity".
Thousands of people took to the streets on Tuesday against the state's call for foreign armed intervention to address insecurity and the cholera epidemic. The social tension is not abating. The country was the scene of violent protests and looting for several weeks after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced a rise in fuel prices.
From Tuesday 11 October, the demonstrators also began to protest against the request for international military aid formulated by the Haitian government a few days earlier. In Port-au-Prince, thousands of people demonstrated in the streets, prompting the police to use tear gas to keep protesters away.
During the clashes a young woman was killed, guilty of having demonstrated for a dignified life.
The population refuses foreign interference in their country where a United Nations mission has been constantly present since 1994.
All this has created a form of anger in Haitian society, and all these precedents mean that this international institution does not have the credibility to intervene again in the eyes of Haitians.
The request for foreign military aid is the symbol of the failure of the government which is unable to resolve the question of security, political and social. Politicians are likely calling for foreign armed intervention to ensure their political survival.
Ebens Cadet, spokesperson for Nou Konsyan, a group of anti-corruption activists in Port-au-Prince said: "We should chain the doors of all public institution offices until Prime Minister Ariel Henry leaves" - "We should also meet in front of the embassies of different countries in Haiti, including the United States, France and Canada, to make ourselves heard" - "We do not accept the presence of foreign forces on our territory".
For the Haitian government, the reinforcements granted will assist the local police in establishing control of the Varraux Terminal, which has been under the control of armed gangs for weeks, causing shortages of fuel and exorbitant food prices.
The WPF (United Nations Food Program) has declared that the soaring food prices will jeopardize the supply and arrival of humanitarian aid in the country and, the lack of security, has forced the WPF to use the routes ships to send humanitarian aid while the operators are transported by air with the United Nations humanitarian air service (UNHAS) putting at risk, also due to lack of funds, the closure of the same.
The country is continually harassed by catastrophic natural events and, since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, gangs have commanded entire neighborhoods of the capital.
The situation in prisons is serious. More than 200 people hospitalized after announcing the first reported cholera deaths and at least 18 deaths from cholera last week.
From the Port-au-Prince National Penitentiary, which is the largest prison in Haiti with over 4.000 inmates, it is reported that there were at least 21 deaths and 147 hospitalizations from 4 to 11 October. Cholera bacteria spread easily and can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration that can be fatal. Haiti's 20 prisons house around 11.000 inmates and concern is mounting as the employment rate in the country's four main prisons exceeds over 400%. In addition, detainees have long faced severe shortages of food, water and medical care, according to a recent UN report.
Bishop Pierre-Andrè Dumas speaks of "Country paralyzed and at risk of the survival of the people" the difficulties are serious, children dying, the sick who cannot receive treatment due to the lack of medicines, hospitals paralyzed due to the lack of fuel.
The reopening of schools is also at risk, state infrastructures are completely blocked and banking institutions do not guarantee regular openings.
The Senate of Haiti asked Prime Minister Henry to "immediately suspend the resolution of 7 October" on the intervention of the foreign armed forces, in order to quell the spirits of the demonstrators.
We will see if the foreign intervention in Haiti will achieve the set objectives.
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