Haiti

A former Haitian lawmaker who is a suspect in the assassination of the country's president has been arrested in Jamaica, Jamaican authorities said Saturday.

Haiti is currently experiencing one of the most difficult periods in its recent history. Just one month after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on 7 July 2021, a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the south-west of the country, affecting over 800 000 people and killing over 2 200. As a result, the national and regional elections (scheduled for 26 September 2021) were postponed indefinitely.

Haiti welcomed the new year with violence as Prime Minister Ariel Henry fled the northern city of Gonaïves following a shootout between his security forces and an armed group that had warned the leader not to set foot in the city.

Prime Minister Ariel Henry swore in his new Cabinet on Wednesday, more than four months after he assumed leadership of Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

The number of children and women abducted in Haiti until the end of August, has already surpassed last year’s total, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned this Thursday.  According to UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jean Gough, "nowhere is safe for children in Haiti anymore." 

Nearly 800 kidnappings have been reported in Haiti so far this year, a local group says, as gangs expand their control amid political instability.

The Security Council decided this evening to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) to 15 July 2022 and request the Secretary-General to assess its mandate, including whether and how it could be adjusted to address Haiti’s ongoing challenges.

Haiti’s top diplomat has called on the United Nations Security Council for help dealing with the country’s spiralling gang violence and crime. Foreign Minister Claude Joseph told the 15-member body on Monday that the existing UN political mission needs to pivot towards strengthening security and law enforcement institutions in Haiti, which is also in the midst of a political crisis made deeper by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July.

Haiti is reeling from the president’s assassination, a major earthquake and a severe tropical storm. The country needs urgent assistance, and its planned elections can wait. Outside powers should channel aid through local civil society groups, help investigate high-level crimes and support pressing reforms.

Haiti’s elections and a constitutional referendum, scheduled for the coming months, have been postponed indefinitely after the dismissal of the electoral administration, plunging the country into further uncertainty.