Once again, Haiti will be the focal point of discussions in Washington next week. Indeed, two sessions are scheduled in the United States Senate on the situation in Haiti.
The first session will take place on Wednesday, the 26th, where the upper house will hold a hearing on the nomination of the new United States ambassador to Haiti, Dennis B. Hankins. The Minnesota native will answer questions from the conscripted senators regarding his vision in his new role as the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the United States to Haiti. Presented as a “career member of the Senior Foreign Service, minister-counselor rank” at the Department of State, Dennis B. Hankins was appointed as ambassador to Haiti by the American president on May 23rd.
Before his nomination, Dennis Bruce Hankins held the same position in Mali. He has also served in various capacities in several other countries, including Sudan, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, and Portugal, among others. Often deployed in conflict-affected countries, the strongman of the Corps of Ambassadors has nearly four decades of career at the Department of State. A graduate of Georgetown University, Dennis Bruce Hankins is 64 years old.
In addition to the session on the confirmation of the new ambassador, the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civil Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues in the U.S. Senate will also hold a hearing on the situation in Haiti and other countries in the region on July 27th. During this session, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Brian Nichols, will have to answer questions from senators who wish to question him on several issues, including the security situation in Haiti.
Several weeks ago, the U.S. Secretary of State had insisted on the need for a multinational force to be deployed immediately in Haiti to support the Haitian National Police (PNH) in their fight against armed gangs. However, the alarm calls from Washington regarding the situation in Haiti are rarely followed by concrete actions.
At the United Nations level, the Security Council is still unable to reach a consensus on the deployment of an intervention force or a new peacekeeping mission in Haiti, even as the situation in the first black republic has worsened further since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise.
Blindly supported by Washington and its allies, Prime Minister Ariel Henri struggles to alleviate the suffering of the population after two years at the helm of the country. Alone in charge, the neurosurgeon has shown no willingness or ability to address the country’s major issues.