Blinken in Jamaica for talks on Haiti at 'critical moment'

U.S. officials have been engaged in talks involving Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states and members of Haiti's political parties, private sector, civil society and religious groups aimed at establishing a transitional council that would pave the way to the first elections since 2016. Haiti entered a state of emergency on March 3 as clashes damaged communications and led to two prison breaks after Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier, a leader of an alliance of armed groups, said they would unite and overthrow Haiti's unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday he hoped to make progress on the security and humanitarian crisis gripping Haiti as he held talks with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica. Blinken, on a hastily arranged visit to Kingston, said this was a "critical moment" for Haiti, where spiraling violence by armed groups threatens to bring down the government.

"We hope progress will be made on Haiti," he said ahead of a meeting with Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness. U.S. officials have been engaged in talks involving Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states and members of Haiti's political parties, private sector, civil society and religious groups aimed at establishing a transitional council that would pave the way to the first elections since 2016.

Haiti entered a state of emergency on March 3 as clashes damaged communications and led to two prison breaks after Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier, a leader of an alliance of armed groups, said they would unite and overthrow Haiti's unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Henry, who came to power after the 2021 assassination of Haiti's last president but is currently stranded outside of the country, was in virtual discussions with CARICOM on Monday, a State Department official said. His political allies also were taking part in the in-person talks in Kingston, the official said.

Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Haitian "stakeholders" had largely agreed that a presidential council should be urgently installed in order to identify a prime minister, who would together with the council establish a government. A provisional electoral council should also be established excluding those who would be involved in future elections, Mottley added at a news conference.

The United Nations estimates that over 362,000 people have been internally displaced, half of whom are children, and thousands have been killed in the overall conflict in Haiti, with widespread reports of rape, torture and ransom kidnappings since 2021. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Washington was looking to expedite the deployment of a multinational security mission, to be led by Kenya, intended to restore security to Haiti, it said.

Countries have been slow to offer support for the multinational force, with some raising doubts over the legitimacy of Henry's unelected government amid widespread protests. Many, both in Haitian communities and abroad, are wary of international interventions after previous U.N. missions left behind a devastating cholera epidemic and sex abuse scandals, for which reparations were never made.

Mike Ballard, intelligence director at security firm Global Guardian, said if gangs completely take control of ports and airports, they will be in charge of humanitarian aid to the country, adding he did not believe Kenyan forces would effectively police or maintain peace. "Countries with actual stakes in the region will need to step up and help shore up security," he said, pointing to the United States, neighboring Dominican Republic and other CARICOM members.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)