Police Reclaim Hijacked Cargo Ship Following Shootout
- Two gangs, known as 5 Seconds and Taliban Gang, seized the ship days prior, kidnapping people on board and stealing some of the rice the vessel was transporting to the city of Cap-Haitien (AP)
Published by CFR's Wachenheim Center on Peace and Security
Latest News
Criminal Violence in Haiti
Haitian Police and Gangs Clash Near National Palace
Seventy Canadian Troops Train Carribean Personnel in Jamaica
- Several Caribbean countries are participating in a UN-backed multinational security mission to Haiti, which continues to face surging gang violence (CBC)
Haiti Transitional Governing Council Nears Completion
- Eight of nine possible members of a transitional governing council signed a statement pledging to restore “public and democratic order” in the country, signaling the council is nearing its official debut; Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would resign amid low public support once the council is fully established (AP)
Haiti Police Operation Kills Senior Gang Leader
- Police killed gang leader Ernst Julme a day after another leader was killed in what appeared to be an act of vigilante justice, police confirmed; officers have struggled to quell gang attacks in the capital, Port-au-Prince, as negotiations to form a transition government in the country continue (Reuters)
- Earlier this month, Haiti’s prime minister announced plans to resign once the transition government is formed (CBS)
Gang Attacks Kill Twelve in Port-au-Prince
- The attack left four power stations completely dysfunctional; a nighttime curfew is in effect through March 20 (AP)
U.S. Sends Marine Corps to Haiti Amid Security Crisis
- The unit was dispatched to help protect the U.S. Embassy in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, U.S. Southern Command said; Haiti is facing high levels of gang violence and is in leadership limbo after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his plans to resign earlier this week (WaPo)
Kenya Pauses Plans for Police Deployment to Haiti
- Kenya will wait until Haiti installs new leadership before sending one thousand police officers to address insecurity there, a Kenyan foreign ministry official said; Kenya’s announcement came after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he would resign to make way for a new leadership council (AP)
Haiti’s Prime Minister Announces Plan to Resign
- Ariel Henry will step down once a new presidential transition council is established, he said in a video address; his announcement came after Caribbean officials and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held an emergency meeting on Haiti’s security and political crisis in Jamaica (Miami Herald)
- Domestic support for Henry has plummeted and gang takeover of critical infrastructure in the country had blocked his reentry after he went to Kenya to develop plans for the deployment of a multinational security force to Haiti (AP)
Diplomats Evacuated From Haiti
- Nonessential U.S. embassy staff as well as German and European diplomatic envoys evacuated Haiti over the weekend amid a mounting security crisis; officials have extended a three-day state of emergency there by a month as attacks by armed gangs have increased (BBC)
Haiti Announces State of Emergency, Curfew Will Extend for a Month
- Haiti’s finance minister signed the order, as acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry is still outside the country (Miami Herald)
- Haitian authorities first imposed emergency measures on Sunday in response to a mass jailbreak and subsequent gang attacks across the country; the UN World Food Program has since suspended its aid transport service in Haiti (AP)
Washington Urges Haitian Prime Minister to Speed Up Political Transition
- A State Department spokesperson said that Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry should “expedite” a transition of political power in the country amid a security crisis there; Henry is Haiti’s unelected interim leader and has delayed promised elections (Reuters)
- While plans for the deployment of a Kenya-led multinational stabilization mission to the country move forward, Caribbean diplomats have argued that Henry does not have the legitimacy to represent Haiti (WaPo)
Kenya, Haiti Authorize Deployment For Multinational Stabilization Mission
Caribbean Leaders: Haiti Agreed to Hold Elections by Mid-2025
- Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry agreed to the election timeline at a meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); the organization issued a joint announcement that said that all Haitian stakeholders will need to make concessions to allow democracy to be restored in the country, as Haiti currently has no elected officials in power (AP)
Benin Offers Two Thousand Troops for Multinational Force in Haiti
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Caribbean countries called on more Francophone nations to contribute to the security force yesterday after she announced Benin’s offer; plans are being put together for the deployment of a Kenya-led mission to help stabilize Haiti (Reuters)
Caribbean, U.S. Officials Meet to Discuss Haiti Crisis
- Senior U.S. officials are in Guyana today attending a four-day summit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that is focusing on the prospect of a UN-backed, Kenya-led multinational police deployment to Haiti to quell surging gang violence; acting Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry is due to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, following the summit to discuss the deployment, which has been stalled by a Kenyan court (AP)
Canada Pledges $59 Million for Security Mission in Haiti
- The money will go to a Kenya-led mission to improve security in the country as it grapples with surging gang violence; Canada’s foreign ministry announced the pledge yesterday after foreign ministers discussed the mission at the Group of Twenty (G20) ministerial meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.(Canada News)
Assassinated Haitian President’s Widow and Aides Indicted With Dozen Others
- The leading judge in the investigation issued a 122-page report citing the ex-prime minister, former chief of Haiti’s National Police, and the president’s widow for the murder (AP)
Kenyan Delegate Attending Talks on Force Deployment to Haiti Found Dead
- Nyamato Walter, a police commissioner, was pronounced dead at the scene in his hotel room in Washington; the police did not comment on his cause of death (CNN)
Haitian, Kenyan Officials Meet in U.S. to Plan Security Deployment to Haiti
- Senior officials from both countries attended three days of talks this week to draft a memorandum of understanding regarding plans for a Kenya-led police deployment to Haiti; Kenya’s Supreme Court ruled against the plan last month, but Kenya’s president has said he would appeal the ruling (AP)
U.S. Returns Over Thirty Migrants to Haiti
- According to the U.S. Coast Guard, thirty-three undocumented migrants who were detained at Fort Pierce on February 3 were repatriated to Haiti (WPEC)
Rival Gangs Torch Sugarcane Fields in Haiti
- Warring gangs destroyed eight hectares of sugarcane, the key ingredient for rum, one of Haiti’s most popular exports, as they clashed near the capital of Port-au-Prince (AP)
Protesters Clash With Police in Haiti, Demand Resignation of Prime Minister
- The demonstrations that have shut down government agencies and halted public transportation are expected to culminate on February 7, which is the deadline the current Prime Minister Ariel Henry was given to resign (AP)
Maryland Legislators Demand “Safe Haven” For Haitian Immigrants
- Dozens of legislators called on the Biden administration to end removal proceedings and expand eligibility for temporary protected status (TPS) to Haitian nationals who entered the United States on or after January 1, 2024, as conditions in Haiti worsen (WaPo)
Kenyan President Says He Aims for Police Deployment to Haiti to Proceed Despite Ruling
- President William Ruto said that a Kenyan court ruling against a proposed Kenya-led multinational police deployment to Haiti still left room for the deployment to move forward if certain conditions were met; Haitian and Kenyan officials are moving to meet those needs, he said (BBC)