©Reuters. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers a press statement on Sweden’s entry into NATO at the State Department in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2024. REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/file Photo
By Daphne Psaledakis and Sarah Morland
KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday the United States would contribute another $100 million to a United Nations-backed multinational security force intended to help Haitian police fight criminal gangs and with 33 million dollars in humanitarian aid.
This brings the proposed U.S. contribution to the force to $300 million.
As of Monday, less than $11 million had been deposited into the United Nations’ dedicated trust fund, a spokesperson for the world body said, with no new additions since March 3, when Haiti declared a state of emergency due to the worsening violence by gangs seeking to overthrow the government.
Blinken, during a hastily arranged visit to Kingston, said this was a “critical moment” for Haiti and that he hoped “progress would be made.”
US officials have been engaged in talks involving Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states and members of Haiti’s political parties, the private sector, civil society and religious groups aimed at establishing a transition council that would pave the way for first elections since 2016.
Haiti declared a state of emergency earlier this month after clashes damaged communications and led to two prison breaks after Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, leader of an alliance of armed groups, said they would united and would overthrow Haiti’s unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Henry, who came to power after the assassination of Haiti’s last president in 2021 but is locked out of the country, held virtual discussions with CARICOM on Monday, a State Department official said. His political allies would also take part in the in-person talks in Kingston, the official said.
Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley said Haitian “stakeholders” were in broad agreement on the need to urgently establish a presidential council to identify a prime minister, who together with the council would establish a government.
An interim electoral council should also be established to exclude those who would be involved in future elections, Mottley added at a news conference.
The United Nations estimates that more than 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 kidnapping for ransom since 2021.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington is seeking to speed up the deployment of a multinational security mission, to be led by Kenya, aimed at restoring security in Haiti.
Countries have been slow to offer support to the multinational force, and some have raised doubts about the legitimacy of Henry’s unelected government amid widespread protests.
Many in Haitian communities and abroad are wary of international interventions after previous U.N. missions left behind a devastating cholera epidemic and sexual abuse scandals, for which reparations were never made.
Mike Ballard, director of intelligence at the security firm Global Guardian, said that if the gangs completely took control of ports and airports, they would be responsible for providing humanitarian aid to the country, adding that he did not believe Kenyan forces would actually be able to monitor or keep the peace.
“Countries with genuine interests in the region will have to step up and help strengthen security,” he said, pointing to the United States, neighboring Dominican Republic and other CARICOM members.