The United States is deeply concerned about the humanitarian, security, and political crises gripping Haiti but reiterates its unwavering support for Prime Minister Ariel Henry, according to a spokesperson for the US State Department, while the head of the de facto government has shown himself incapable of providing solutions to the most urgent problems facing the Haitian people and of extricating the first Black Republic in the world from its impasse.
The United States, which sees Henry as the transitional figure, continues to work with the Haitian government to provide essential support to the Haitian people and continues to urge Prime Minister Ariel Henry and the relevant political actors to work to find the necessary consensus to establish a credible Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and to set a timetable for holding free and fair elections, according to the spokesperson.
The United States recognizes that it is abnormal that after more than two and a half years of Ariel Henry’s interim period, an elected government has not been installed at the head of the country, and joins the international community and the Haitian people in calling for urgent progress.
The US government is also working closely with dozens of Haitian stakeholders, including political actors, civil society leaders, and religious leaders, to discuss and resolve the current humanitarian, security, and political issues in Haiti, according to the spokesperson.
Concerned about the lack of progress on the political path forward for Haiti, the US government once again calls on all political actors, including Prime Minister Ariel Henry, to engage in good faith to urgently find a solution to the political crisis, reaffirming that elections are the only legitimate path to democratic order and stability in Haiti.
The Biden administration continues to support efforts to reach a decision on the political path forward with Haitian stakeholders in the interest of the Haitian people, but progress in this area is essential, the spokesperson for the US Department of State said.
Asked about the position expressed by a group of US senators who denounced Prime Minister Henry’s attempts to consolidate power and urged the Biden administration to intervene, the spokesperson declined to comment.
Furthermore, the spokesperson for the State Department indicated that the Biden administration had become aware of the UN report stating that more than 1,100 deaths were linked to gang violence in Haiti in January 2024, and the US government remains very concerned about this situation.
Therefore, it supports the deployment of the multinational security support mission (MMSS) to provide urgent support to the Haitian National Police (PNH) to combat armed gangs, added the State Department spokesperson.
Also asked about the violent deaths of five agents of the Protected Areas Protection Brigade (BSAP) and the degrading conditions in which they were buried in mass graves, the State Department spokesperson also declined to respond, referring to the Haitian government. He reaffirmed the United States’ determination to denounce human rights violations in Haiti, as indicated in the annual human rights report.
The Haiti issue will be at the center of discussions during the meeting of G20 leaders taking place in Brazil on February 22 and 23, 2024.
Meetings are planned between the Brazilian president, the US, Russian, and Chinese foreign ministers, among others, on the political crisis in Haiti.
Israel’s attacks on Palestinians and the Russo-Ukrainian War will also be discussed, according to a statement from the US State Department.
Several representatives of the Haitian government, including Foreign Minister Jean Victor Généus, will also take part in the discussions.