The name of Kenneth Merten’s replacement at the head of the US Embassy in Haiti is now known. Nicole Theriot has been named Chargé d’Affaires a.i. until a new ambassador is permanently appointed.
The news was confirmed by one of the State Department’s spokespersons in an electronic conversation with ZoomHaitiNews.
“The Embassy in Port-au-Prince will be ably led by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Nicole Theriot. We thank Ambassador Merten for his service to the American people during his tenure as Chargé d’Affaires at the [U.S.] Embassy in Port-au-Prince,” the spokesperson said, adding that Ambassador Merten “has now moved on to his next assignment at the State Department. Routine staff rotation is part of the State Department’s assignment process. ”
For now, the White House is working to appoint a new ambassador to Haiti, according to one of the U.S. Department of State spokespersons, who said he is “looking forward to the appointment of a U.S. ambassador to Haiti. ”
Prior to her appointment as Chargé d’Affaires a.i., Nicole Theriot was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince since July 21, 2000. She was also the Director of Immigration and Visa Security at the U.S. National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President from 2019 to 2020,” according to a State Department statement.
Appointed charge d’affaires on October 21, 2022, Kenneth Merten will have spent just over six months in the position.
From sources close to the State Department, ZHN and CTN learned that the replacement of Ambassador Merten is part of a change in U.S. policy in Haiti.
At the end of his mission, Kenneth Merten, during a meeting with Haitian journalists on April 11, expressed his disappointment at the persistence of the political crisis in Haiti, denouncing the irresponsibility of Haitian political leaders. These statements have caused strong reactions within the Haitian political class in particular. Some politicians have sharply criticized the diplomat’s remarks, saying that he is not well placed to speak in these terms, recalling his involvement in the advent of the PHTK regime, accused of having worsened the socio-economic and political situation of the country.