800 Haitian Police Leave the Force Amid Rising Violence
The UN called the hundreds of departures in the first six months of the year “a staggering loss” (Miami Herald)
Meanwhile, the UN said 1,860 people were kidnapped, injured, or killed from April to June, mostly in the capital, a 14 percent increase from the previous three months (AP)
U.S. Deports Dozens to Haiti Hours After Urging Citizens to Leave the Country
Rights groups have criticized the United States for deporting at least sixty people despite acknowledging the dire security conditions in Haiti (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Urges Americans to Leave Haiti Amid Worsening Instability
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti urged all American citizens yesterday to leave the country “as soon as possible” amid the island’s increasingly deteriorating security situation; last month, the United States evacuated nonemergency government personnel and diplomatic family members from its embassy in Haiti’s capital (WaPo)
Gang Kills At Least Seven People in Port-au-Prince Church Attack
The gang opened fire on a church group demonstrating against gang violence; the shooting adds to Haiti’s mounting incidents of violence following President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination in 2021 (NYT)
Tropical Storm Franklin Approaches Haiti, Dominican Republic
Haitians were urged to stock up on water and Dominican businesses closed; the storm made landfall today, bringing heavy winds and rain and cutting off power to thousands of homes (AP)
UN Secretary-General: “Robust Use of Force” Needed Against Gangs
António Guterres endorsed a multinational police and military deployment to respond to Haiti’s security crisis in a report to the UN Security Council that was seen by Reuters yesterday (Reuters)
Thousands Protest Against Rising Violence in Haiti
The demonstrations in the capital, Port-au-Prince, come as the country awaits a decision by the UN Security Council about the potential deployment of a foreign military force; Kenya has proposed leading one, and the United States said last week that it would put forward a resolution to authorize the force (AP)
Bahamas Said It Would Join Kenya-Led Security Force in Haiti
The Bahamian foreign ministry said it supported Kenya’s decision to lead a multinational security force in Haiti in an attempt to curb gang violence, and will contribute one hundred and fifty troops if the initiative is approved by the United Nations (Reuters)
U.S., Ecuador to Author UN Resolution on Kenya-Led Force in Haiti
After Kenya expressed its willingness to lead a multinational security force in Haiti, the United States and Ecuador plan to introduce a resolution at the UN Security Council for its authorization, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Secretary of State Attends CARICOM Summit
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is attending a summit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Port of Spain today; the event marks the fiftieth anniversary of the group’s founding and is set to include discussion of how to respond to the ongoing crisis in Haiti (MercoPress)
Haitian Leaders Hold Talks on Political Impasse in Jamaica
The United States and Canada are facilitating the three days of talks, which are aimed at mapping solutions to Haiti’s security crisis and a pathway to elections (Miami Herald)
U.S. Vice President to Renew Push for Military Force in Haiti
Kamala Harris will meet with Caribbean leaders in the Bahamas today where she is expected to renew calls for an international force to respond to Haiti’s ongoing security crisis; U.S. officials have called for such a force for months, but no country has offered to lead one (Miami Herald)
Earthquake in Haiti Kills Four People
The estimated 4.9-magnitude quake hit early yesterday in southern Haiti and left four people dead and thirty-six wounded, authorities said; the country is still recovering from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the same area less than two years ago (AP)
In Jamaica, UN Chief Calls for International Response to Haiti Crisis
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that the “tragic situation” in Haiti demands a stronger international response, as it presents a threat to regional security (UN News)
Haiti’s prime minister has previously called for an international security force to help address surging gang violence in the country (CNN)
UN Says Over One Hundred Thousand Haitian Children Risk Dying From Hunger This Year
More than 115,600 children in Haiti are at risk of severe wasting from malnutrition this year, the UN Children’s Fund said; the ongoing crisis in Haiti has worsened food insecurity and hampered humanitarian access in the country (Reuters)
Biden to Meet With Canada’s Trudeau to Discuss Migration, Haiti Crisis
U.S. President Joe Biden is beginning a two-day visit to Canada’s capital, Ottawa, where he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss the security crisis in Haiti, defense cooperation, and how to address cross-border migration; it is Biden’s first visit to Canada as president (CBC)
As gang violence has escalated in Haiti in recent months, Washington has urged Ottawa to lead a multilateral security force to address the crisis, though the two governments have been reluctant to get involved given the ineffectiveness of past military interventions in Haiti (WaPo)
UN: Haiti Gang Clashes Killed 208 People in Two Weeks
The spate of killings in the first two weeks of March prompted a UN human rights spokesperson to repeat the United Nations’ appeal for a rapid-response force to be deployed to Haiti (UN News)
Gang Assaults in Artibonite
The attacks occurred in Haiti’s Artibonite region over the weekend, with gangs torching homes and killing nearly a dozen civilians as large numbers of residents fled toward the coast; the attack prompted emergency police measures and allowed the gangs to increase their control over central Haiti, as violence continues surging across the country (AP)
UN Secretary-General Condemns Gang Massacre
The gang massacre killed more than forty people in a village near the Haitian capital (Miami Herald)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for UN member states to strengthen a Kenyan-led multinational security force in Haiti (UN)
Washington and Latin American countries are calling for that force to expand from under one thousand to over five thousand personnel and to broaden its authorities (Miami Herald;AP)