The U.S. State Department confirmed on Thursday the kidnapping of two American citizens in Haiti. They are the couple, Dickens Toussaint and his wife, Abigail Michael Toussaint kidnapped on March 18.
During a briefing on the steps to locate the victims, a spokesman for the State Department, Vedant Patel, said he is in regular contact with Haitian authorities. The thugs are demanding $200,000 in exchange for the release of the victims.
During the day of March 30, the media in the capital reported nearly 8 cases of kidnapping, including that of Dr. Joel Nazon Cinéas perpetrated in Berne Alley. When contacted by CTN, the press office of the National Police was cautious on the issue. Nearly 24 hours later, in Portail-Léogane, in the heart of the capital, an attempted kidnapping was foiled by a police patrol.
Between the lack of political will on the part of state authorities and the lack of equipment within the National Police, the executioners seem to be on the verge of overturning everything in order to increase their territory. Corpses abandoned in the streets have become commonplace. The capital is under attack, the population is imprisoned, and the precariousness of the situation leads them, despite everything, to the bloody streets in search of food.
The systematic use of torture
To force the victims’ relatives to pay the ransom, the bloodthirsty, in their cruelty, invent all sorts of abject practices. Videos, some of which have been posted on social networks, highlight the moans of the victims. A man, bare-chested, with his feet and hands firmly attached, groans under flames produced from a plastic container. The image is revolting and the pain irresistible. This is the ordeal of many kidnapping victims when they are not simply executed.
Americans under fire
“Those who are closest to the challenges know best where the opportunities for peace lie”, said the head of the diplomatic corps of the United States of America on his Twitter account. Anthony Blinken, in this same “post” relayed by his diplomatic representation in Port-au-Prince, gives a glimmer of hope that the Americans will effectively contribute to the restoration of security of life and property in Haiti. “The new 10-year implementation plans for the Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability emphasize the creation of local partnerships to bring about positive change in communities,” he said in the same tweet.
As a reaction and in a seemingly desperate attempt to remind the U.S. Secretary of State, at what level his country is viscerally involved in this indescribable crisis that their country is going through, Internet users rushed to express on the one hand their frustration and on the other hand what they expect from their powerful neighbor still hesitant.
“Nou fin kreye afè nou, konya nou vle pote remèd. BonDye wè nou”. In typical Haitian Creole, this Internet user points the finger at the United States as responsible. The tone is direct and the message very clear, without providing any arguments.
“I hope that the news will reach your ears as it will mine. Have we heard of bandits establishing their base at the airport? Are we going to lose it like the southern, northern and surrounding areas of Haiti?”
“I just want some peace, I’m not asking for food or money, I can work for it. I only need security. Haiti is my only heritage, I have no other place to go. Please help us!”
In its latest report on the many crimes committed in Haiti released last January, the United Nations (UN) singled out the United States as the main source of “arms and ammunition [smuggled] to the lawless men who terrorize the Haitian population. Florida in particular holds the record for the majority of handguns and powerful rifles, including AK47s, AR15s, and Galils, that have reached Haiti, whose capital is almost completely under the control of armed gangs. These illegally imported weapons are displayed in the streets, almost neutralizing the forces of law and order, which seem to be losing the confidence of the civilian population as the crisis continues.
While it is true that the U.S. Department of State is advocating a 10-year strategy of actions to promote stability in Haiti, there is likely legitimate doubt about the willingness of the United States to include Haiti on its list of priorities.
In Amnesty International’s view, the Western world, led by the United States, is being very hypocritical in what it describes as a double standard. In a report of more than 500 pages, the NGO is explicit. “If it wants to win the war in Ukraine, the Western world cannot at the same time tolerate similar acts of aggression in other countries just because its interests are at stake,” this quote from the report makes it clear that it is the interests of Western leaders that determine their priorities.
Regarding migration issues, Amnesty International criticizes European and North American countries, and in particular the United States of America, which between September 2021 and May 2022 deported more than 25,000 Haitians while allowing tens of thousands of Ukrainians to enter their territory.
Despite his visit to Canada on March 23, the U.S. president could not convince the Canadian authorities who, according to Washington’s plan, should take the lead in a peace mission in Haiti. After this refusal, considered by many as a failure, Joe Biden seems to be on the verge of reinventing a formula: “Consult with Haitian grassroots organizations, academics and others to see how the U.S. can help address the violence and instability”.
U.S. Undersecretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Brian Nichols, who has visited Haiti many times, has limited himself to making promises, after meetings without concrete results with the head of the Haitian government, Ariel Henry, political actors, members of the diplomatic corps, those of the private sector, among others.
During the year 2022, more than 45 million dollars were allocated by the U.S. government to the Haitian National Police. This fund is expected to help strengthen the police institution and at the same time pacify areas controlled by gangs. As a result, from January to March of this year, 17 police officers were killed and 2 were reported missing. Police stations and sub-stations are systematically attacked by armed gangs.
If the United States of America has never missed the opportunity to communicate about the heavy envelopes dedicated to the country, by praising its relationship of good neighborliness with Haiti, the worsening of the climate of insecurity maintained by the political crisis tends to confirm the ineffectiveness of the aid so far provided by the most powerful country on the planet to its neighbor.