Several Haitian political leaders have responded favorably to the United States’ decision to officially designate the armed groups Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif as international terrorist organizations. This measure, recently announced, follows a formal request made last January to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a joint statement signed by Pascal Adrien and André Michel (December 21 Accord), as well as Claude Joseph and Claude Édouard (EDE — Engagés pour le Développement), the signatories welcomed what they called a “historic” decision, while urging further action.
They believe the designation is an important step, but must be followed by an international plan to effectively dismantle these criminal groups that are plunging Haiti into insecurity and chaos. They emphasized the need to strengthen support for the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) and to provide the Haitian National Police and the Armed Forces of Haiti with greater resources.
“The Haitian people have suffered too much,” they said, referring to the thousands of victims of kidnappings, rapes, murders, and forced displacements caused by these gangs. In their view, the international community must maintain constant pressure and act in a coordinated manner to end this climate of terror.
This joint statement reflects a political will for coordination in the face of escalating insecurity, with the hope that the U.S. designation of these groups as terrorist entities will pave the way for concrete and reinforced actions on the ground.
It is worth noting that political leaders from the December 21 Accord and the EDE party officially addressed a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting the inclusion of Viv Ansanm on the terrorist organizations list. A similar request was submitted on January 27 to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, referencing the United Nations General Assembly resolution of September 8, 2006. The signatories argue that this criminal group must be internationally recognized for its violent and destabilizing actions in Haiti.
