US extends tentacles of interference to Haiti under peacekeeping guise

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Sep 2023 23:34
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Learn more about the brewing United States mobilization in the Caribbean under the pretext of bringing political stability to Haiti.

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C), sitting by Prime Minister of Haiti Ariel Henry (L) and Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Alfred Nganga Mutua (R), addresses diplomats and media during a meeting on the security situation in Haiti in New York, United States, on September 22, 2023. (AP)

The United States announced its intention to offer logistical support for a military mission in Haiti.

During a ministerial meeting on Haiti at the UN General Assembly, Victoria Nuland, the second-ranking official at the State Department, mentioned that approximately ten to twelve countries have made tangible offers to participate in this mission.

However, she did not disclose the names of these countries. Kenya has offered to lead the mission and contribute 1,000 security personnel. Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Antigua have likewise expressed their readiness to join the effort.

Haiti's Western-backed Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been calling for nearly a year for the deployment of a force to address "security issues" in the country.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Biden administration's intention to request $100 million from Congress to support the mission, which will involve both troops and police.

Blinken has cited "political instability" in Haiti as a pretext for direct interference by the force, stating that the mission must be deployed to create a conducive environment for a country that has not held elections since 2016.

Blinken claims that the support mission would not serve as a substitute for political progress.

The supposed "peacekeepers" will not operate under the flag of the United Nations; however, the United States is taking a lead diplomatic role in the mission and is advocating for a Security Council resolution to authorize it.

Nuland indicated that a resolution co-sponsored by the United States and Ecuador is expected to be finalized in the coming week, with anticipated strong support from the Security Council.

Haiti rejects US-led foreign forces

A struggle has been ensuing between the nation's acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Ariel Henry, a neurologist by training, who was named PM by Moïse but was never officially sworn in. Later on, Henry was backed by foreign powers, alongside the Organization of American States and the United Nations, and was imposed as acting PM, but he lacked any political legitimation and remains unpopular.

The Montana Accord opposition group, a broad part of Haiti’s civil society, opposed the legitimacy of Henry’s government and has been demanding elections. This past December, Henry finally agreed to hold elections this year, but no date has been revealed.

It is said that Henry may have had a finger in late President Jovenel Moïse’s killing, while Haiti's chief prosecutor stated that he had contacted one of the chief suspects in the days before and hours after the assassination.

Haiti has witnessed a rise in violence once again as the country continues to oppose any foreign intervention. Although part of it is due to the mistrust in Henry, it also has to do with national resentment over more than a century of neocolonial interventions mostly by the US.