The American government would not have the intention to give a favorable response to the request of Prime Minister Ariel Henry to send troops to Haiti, ZoomHaitiNews has learned from a source close to the American diplomacy. For now, “the United States is in non-intervention mode,” said a senior State Department official. “I’m afraid Haiti will have to go it alone this time,” the U.S. official added in a conversation with Emmanuel Paul of ZoomHaitiNews and CaribbeanTelevisioNetwork. However, the U.S. administration would be willing to facilitate the deployment of foreign soldiers in Haiti through the United Nations or the Organization of American States (OAS) provided that “the Haitian government finds an agreement with political actors and civil society organizations,” according to another source in the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs who wished to remain anonymous.
In addition, an interdepartmental meeting should be held in the coming days on the situation in Haiti. An initiative of the Canadian government. During this meeting, participants should discuss the request of the Haitian government, according to the State Department spokesman. Canada, the United States, and other member countries of the Organization of American States should take part in this meeting which should also focus on the deterioration of the security situation in Haiti, said Nerd Price at a press conference on Tuesday.
“We have been following closely the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Haiti in recent days. As you know, this was a major focus for us when we were in South America last week in Lima. Our Canadian partners have convened a ministerial meeting to discuss this with the head of the OAS as well,” according to Nerd Price, who says he notes that “the situation has become even more dire, even more dangerous with the actions of criminal actors impeding urgent measures to address the threat that cholera poses to the Haitian population.” The U.S. diplomatic spokesperson also noted that the United States is reviewing “the Prime Minister’s October 7 request, in coordination with international partners, to determine how we can best contribute to lifting the security constraints on medical and humanitarian measures to spread – to stop the spread of cholera.”
Pressed by reporters about the Biden Administration’s decision on the request from Ariel Henry and his government, Nerd Price declined to provide more information. He merely stated that the United States is in regular contact with its partners, the Haitian National Police and the UN.
Mr. Price also revealed that the United States wants to be “very careful and responsible about what form such action might take.” The U.S. administration intends to explore all possible options with its partners. “We want to make sure that we are diligent in exploring ways to facilitate the delivery of this vital humanitarian assistance to the Haitian people, given their urgent need.”
The Haitian government’s request to the UN and OAS to send foreign troops to Haiti comes less than two weeks after the Haitian foreign minister gave assurances that the security situation was under control. “I am able to announce that with the exception of a few isolated cases, the situation is generally under control and calm has returned to several parts of the country,” said Jean Victor Généus.
For several months, protest movements have been organized throughout Haiti to demand the departure of Ariel Henry, who has shown himself incapable of addressing the major ills of the nation. These movements have intensified after the government’s decision to increase the price of fuel by more than 200% in a country where the purchasing power of the population has decreased considerably.