Bring Arms! Haiti asking for International Help

By Sherrica Thompson

Staff Writer

#Haiti, October 13, 2022 – The government of Haiti has decided to seek aid from international forces to help deal with the significant rise in gang violence that has gravely impacted the country.

Reports are that the Haitian government authorised Ariel Henry, Prime Minister of Haiti to ask “Haiti’s international partners” to help with the “immediate deployment of a specialised armed force” to address the growing security crisis.

On Sunday, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, urged the international community, including the UN Security Council, to consider “as of matter of urgency” the request by the Haitian government for the immediate deployment of an international specialized armed force in the country.

The Secretary-General said the force would address the humanitarian crisis, including securing the free movement of water, fuel, food and medical supplies from main ports and airports to communities and healthcare facilities.

While addressing the Organization of American States (OAS) summit in Lima, Peru, on October 7, the Foreign Minister of Haiti, Jean Victor Genius, also made a plea for international police support, noting that the economic situation in his country was “catastrophic”.

During the OAS summit, the Secretary of State for the United States, Antony Blinken, said Washington was committed to restoring security in Haiti.

In recent months violence has increased throughout Haiti, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince, with armed gangs fighting for control of key roads and neighbourhoods.

In addition to this, the country has been facing a massive water shortage, the shutdown of ports, attacks on food depots and charities, the closure of hospitals and a delay in the start of the new school year. As if those issues weren’t enough, Haiti is now battling an outbreak of cholera.