Statements by People's Organizations on Crisis in Haiti
Haitian Democratic Committee in Argentina
Henry Boisrolin, Coordinator of the Haitian Democratic Committee in Argentina, wrote:
"The Haitian crisis has worsened in the last months in a really alarming way. We are witnessing the collapse, practically of the neo-colonial system, whose main symbolic structures were attacked by so-called gangs that in my opinion are death squads, they are political instruments at the service of imperialism and the Haitian ruling elite.
"To the Prime Minister who was outside and who has now presented his resignation, to a governance on autopilot, who has decreed a virtual government, who has decreed a state of siege impossible to be applied, because he controls absolutely nothing, and there was a CARICOM meeting on Monday, March 11, 2024, where Canada, the United States and France were invited, and where evidently it was a manoeuvre of U.S. imperialism, because the one who had the singing voice was the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
"What is the solution they offer, the resignation of the Prime Minister and the formation of a presidential council of seven members with a presidency alternating every three months among them, but with a duration between 18 and 24 months to organize the country, to impose peace and to organize elections, but each member of that council has to accept the deployment of a multinational force, which means a new interference, a new occupation, then the fundamental objective of our struggle is to recover our right to self-determination, our sovereignty and our independence, then we seek a Haitian solution to the Haitian crisis, we reject outright the resolution that came out of the CARICOM meeting in Kingston, Jamaica."
Haitian Coalition in Canada Against Dictatorship in Haiti
On March 28, the Haitian Coalition in Canada Against Dictatorship in Haiti issued the following statement:
"We, the members of the Canadian Haitian Coalition Against Dictatorship in Haiti, signatories of the August 30, 2021 Accord (Montana Accord), are very concerned by the way in which the international community is imposing its own rules of the game on the Haitian players in order to establish a transition of continuity. We agree with the principle of a breakaway transition as formulated from the outset by the August 30 agreement. This breakaway transition presents a certain number of fundamental principles and characteristics that characterize it. Principles such as recovering the country's sovereign rights, which cannot be negotiated. Maintaining sovereignty means rejecting all forms of occupation. CARICOM, which is supposed to play an intermediary role, appears, through its actions, to be a self-interested political player acting in accordance with the agenda of the powers that dominate the country, alongside the vassal politicians and political organizations existing in the country. In this logic, the transnational occupation is imposed as a condition for the establishment of the transition. This is totally at odds with our convictions and principles.
"A breakaway transition must be clear in its choice of participants. In this respect, we continue to believe that the PHTK [Haitian Tèt Kale Party] and its allies have no place in any transitional government that seeks to recover the country's sovereignty and create the conditions for the Haitian people to live in peace and dignity. It is this regime that has put us in the impasse in which we find ourselves, with the aim of dismantling from their point of origin all popular initiatives and mobilizations in the country that are attempting to change the system. The popular saying about the need to overturn the pot is a clear expression of the will and determination of the Haitian people to establish another model of society. Consequently, the members and organizations of the PHTK -- 'legal bandits' and their allies supported by the 'international community' -- have been responsible for more than a decade for the current chaos and situation of terror. The Haitian people have had enough. The PHTK and its allies, under the obedience of the Core Group (U.S., France, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Germany, EU, UN and OAS) cannot, after sowing chaos and creating problems, then claim to be looking for solutions. They start fires and pretend to be firemen.
"The PHTK regime has already been in power for 13 years, enjoying the blessings of the Core Group countries (in particular the USA, France and Canada), but the Haitian people have never missed an opportunity to throw these figures into the landfill of history for the financial crimes, massacres, corruption and all the atrocities committed against the people. A breakaway transition requires people and organizations of integrity, who are not involved in illicit activities, drugs, financial crimes, kidnappings, murders; people who have never been convicted by the national or international judiciary. A breakaway transition must have people who are not subject to any national or international sanctions, people who have never been accomplices of the criminal PHTK regime and who have never served the interests of foreign countries. This means that this transition only needs people and organizations of integrity, credibility, honesty, patriotism, determination and competence, who put Haiti's interests first. In this respect, we are very concerned by the presence of the Montana Accord in the Presidential Transitional Council created by CARICOM, as the CARICOM initiative does not respond to any breakthrough initiative. In our opinion, the objective of CARICOM is to put an end to all Haitian initiatives so that the country does not gain its own sovereignty and prevent Haiti from finding a sovereign solution to this crisis created in the country.
"We note that all the treatments CARICOM is carrying out on behalf of its employers are contrary to all the fundamental principles of the transition towards a break with the past. Everything that is happening here is in line with the objectives of the countries that oppress Haiti, to renew and strengthen the PHTK regime and its allies, who respond like lackeys in the service of the projects of the countries dominating Haiti. What's more, they've created a muddle to continue and reinforce the country's dependence and domination. To accept this is to sell the country's sovereign right to the devil. As the Montana Accord said in its initial program, Haiti needs a clean break transition carried out by sovereign Haitians. It's a transition that must at the very least create the conditions necessary to degangsterize the country in all its aspects (notably economic and political), recover the country's sovereignty by organizing honest elections free of impositions from foreign countries or the local oligarchy. Any breakaway transition must be clear to the Haitian people, from the election of candidates to the organizations involved. This transition must create the necessary conditions for the population to live in peace and dignity, and lay the foundations for people to truly live as human beings, for citizens to see and do politics differently in the country, and create the conditions to put on trial all those responsible for all the financial crimes and massacres against the Haitian people.
"All CARICOM's measures are contrary to this project. And in this respect, we believe that the August 30, 2021 agreement must initiate a permanent communication process to explain to all the signatory organizations and to the Haitian people in general what is going on. When we see that what is being done runs counter to the breakaway transition project, we get very worried. Before it gets too late and more tragic, we continue to believe that at the crossroads where we find ourselves, all true patriots and progressive organizations have a historic and ethical responsibility to come together and unite on a united front to prevent the country from falling into a trap aimed at renewing the PHTK and its allies and thus dismantling all democratic and popular initiatives. We must join forces as adults to implement the project of a transitional break with the past. We have a rendezvous with history, so let's respond now and assume our responsibilities.
"Haiti comes first! Long live sovereign Haiti! Long live the struggle of the Haitian people! Those who fight do not die!"
RASIN Kan Pèp La Party
Marc-Arthur Fils-Aimé, General Secretary, and Camille Chalmers, Spokesman, of the RASIN Kan Pèp La Party issued the following statement in Port-au-Prince on March 12, 2024:
"The RASIN Kan Pèp La Party, takes its hat off to salute all the families and communities who were victims of violence last week, where the people we call gangs received orders from their employers here and abroad to accelerate the work of destruction of the country. The victims are many and our suffering is the suffering of all the children of the country.
"The Party believes it is important to try to understand what is happening. We are in a situation where many actors are pretending. There are criminals-drug traffickers who pretend to make a revolution against the system while working to maintain the system and aggravate the chaos. There are other actors who claim that they cannot enter the country while they go about their business. There is a de facto interim Prime Minister who pretends to lead the country when he has contributed to the destruction of all the tools that could have allowed him to truly lead. There is a de facto government pretending to organize the transition, while the power of the gangs grows. There are the imperialists pretending to be helping to build security positions in the country while organizing to weaken the Haitian National Police (HNP) by organizing the migration of over 3,000 police during 2023, a HNP that already did not have enough police. There are politicians who pretend to be running the State apparatus while all they do is to steal everything that is deposited in the State coffers. There are policemen who pretend to protect and serve the population while all they do is sell ammunition to the gangs. Between what the actors say and do, we must develop the capacity to understand what political project they are really defending.
"1. As of February 29, 2024, the coalition of gangs bearing the name 'Living Together' received orders to launch a coordinated attack in Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets. The actions of the gangs mainly targeted 2 large prisons, one in Croix des-Bouquets and the other in Port-au-Prince, where they allowed the escape of more than 4 thousand prisoners. The attacks also targeted the Toussaint Louverture international airport, some police posts and some public offices. At the same time, they destroyed hospitals, colleges, water collection systems and other important infrastructures for people to live in the territory. The gangs' only demand, they say on social networks, is the resignation of the de facto Prime Minister, Ariel Henry. The gang attack on the international airport forced airlines to cancel all international flights in the country. Meanwhile, the media reported that Ariel Henry was under pressure from the United States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to resign. This series of events, as they unfolded, shows the high-level coordination in the actions of the gang coalition, which are part of a project to totally destroy the country, remove all progressive organizations from the political scene and strengthen the domination of the imperialist countries over the country.
"2. What actors in the country and abroad are involved in this planning? Why is it at this time that the gangs unleashed these attacks and demanded Ariel Henry's resignation? What is the hidden agenda behind the latest gang attack?
"3. The gang coalition has allies inside and outside the country. It is true that the gang attack on the Port-au-Prince airport could have prevented the plane carrying Ariel Henry, who was coming from Kenya, from landing in Port-au-Prince. Although there were some militants demonstrating against him in front of the Cap-Haitien airport, this could not have prevented Ariel Henry from entering Cap-Haitien because all gang violence was limited to the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Moreover, the Dominican government's decision to close the border with Haiti comes at a time when Ariel Henry is having difficulty entering Haiti. While gangs in Port-au-Prince say they are erecting barricades to prevent Ariel Henry's entry, Dominican authorities are taking diplomatic measures to keep Ariel Henry out. This shows the alliance between international actors and the gangs to unleash the movement that is further destroying the country since February 29. For over 30 months, U.S. imperialism and its allies have been supporting the Ariel Henry government and all its drifts often committed in relation to the gangs, what could explain this new phase in U.S. policy?
"4. The negotiations in the UN Security Council on the resolution to authorize international military to go to Haiti to support the de facto government and the position expressed by some U.S. congressmen on the Haitian crisis, show that the country is in the middle of a war of strategic interests, on the one hand, and in an electoral battle between Democrats and Republicans in the United States, on the other. There are sectors in the United States that are working to bring the disaster in Haiti on Biden's head. We remember the great support given by Haitians living in the United States to the election of Joseph Biden as president of that country. At that time, the most active groups of the U.S. diaspora on the election issue and supporting Biden clearly expressed their anti-Jovenel Moïse position. With their vote they intended to change the policy of U.S. imperialism towards the government of Jovenel Moïse. It was a miscalculation. Now, as the U.S. prepares to hold elections, the position against the U.S. and against the Democratic Party has reached an all-time high. In this context, the crisis in Haiti is a major issue in the U.S. election campaign. Since it was a simple message from the CORE GROUP that authorized Ariel Henry to become Prime Minister, why, then, would they need to mobilize this infernal machine to overturn the de facto government they appointed?
"5. Since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, many political and civil society actors believe that only a Haitian solution can address the current crisis. One of the most organized expressions of this idea is the Agreement of August 30, 2021 (Montana Agreement). The imperialist does not agree with this idea. There was and there is a whole campaign of manipulation, corruption and division mounted to reduce the strength that Montana represents. Some renowned journalists even said on the radio that the Montana Accord is a thing of the left. The reactionaries are doing everything possible to try to dismantle the Montana Accord. They succeeded in inoculating the germ of division in the dynamics created by the Montana Agreement; which reduces even more its mobilization capacity. Let us remember all that, it is to tell you that U.S. imperialism has come to understand that all solutions to the crisis that do not seem to come from a consensus among Haitians will face many contestations within the country. Therefore, the gang attacks give imperialism two possibilities: First, gang violence has created a situation in which all the actions of imperialism can be interpreted as a salvation for the population; second, gang leaders can impose themselves as political actors who must participate in the solution of the crisis. Faced with such a situation, what are the progressive forces to do?
"6. It is good to better understand the roles assigned to the gangs. We must never forget that the gangs are instruments of the oligarchy and imperialism. All human rights reports show where the gangs' weapons and ammunition come from; they show the complicity between state authorities and the gangs that are there to paralyze all popular mobilizations. Progressive forces must confront the project of turning drug traffickers and gang leaders into political leaders. If this project is carried out, we will further deepen the gangsterization of the entire state space. It is true that the leftist political organizations were not prepared to enter into this violent battle based on the weapons that the oligarchy and imperialism delivered in the popular neighborhoods, but progressive organizations must have the courage to denounce the dreadful project that is underway and open the eyes of the masses to understand the contradictions. The majority of the population resists this plan of death that combines several tactics: the delivery of arms and impunity to the gangs, the application of neo-liberal policies that destroy national production and the capacity of the State, then facilitating migration.
"7. We salute all the honest policemen and soldiers who are not involved in crimes, in extortion and abuse against the population, who are not involved in receiving money from drug traffickers and kidnappers. There are several of them who maintain a good collaboration with the self-defence groups in various neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. They show that they are available to defend the dignity of the country if they find the means to do their job and if they have the guarantee that the boss who gives them the orders is not in collusion with gangsters.
"8. We salute all Haitians who were trained in the army and police of the following countries: United States, Canada, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, who are aware of the debt they owe to their mother Haiti and are willing to share their knowledge and/or services in a true project of national liberation.
"The solution to get out of this grave crisis is in the hands of the popular masses, of the popular classes, of the progressive and revolutionary forces!
"We need to get out of the logic of waiting for an opportunity to take office.
"Down with all the arsonist firemen. They set fire to the country and now they pretend they are going to put it out.
"Down with the war unleashed against the Haitian people.
"Down with the gangsterization of our political system. They have left the country in the hands of the PHTK, the legal criminals, and they are trying to continue with the same logic to hand over power to gang leaders and drug traffickers.
"Long live a sovereign transition.
"Long live honest elections with a Provisional Electoral Council that is not tied to the table of the oligarchy or the imperialists.
"Long live the struggle to defend the dignity of the Haitian people.
"Long live the struggle to build sovereignty and self-determination."
This article was published in
Volume 54
Number 3 - April 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5400321.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca