Haiti Prime Minister Meets With Caribbean Leaders To Discuss Foreign Force Deployment
As the Haiti Crisis continued, Caribbean leaders, including Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry, met to discuss the deployment of foreign troops to the country. This came as gang violence continued to send the country into further turmoil.
As this is happening, calls for Prime Minister Henry to step down intensified, with one top official noting that his continued presence as the head of government in Haiti has served as a "main stumbling block" for progress in the country.
Despite the calls for Henry's removal, other Caribbean leaders questioned what good would this do for a country in turmoil to move forward without a clear successor. This included Bahamas Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, who spoke with the Associated Press regarding the situation.
Mitchell asked how Haiti, which is in the middle of one of the worst political crises in its history, would function should Haiti's prime minister resign or be removed. He also added that "there needs to be a political solution" to solve Haiti's ongoing problems.
Ariel Henry also spoke with the AP and noted that the calls for his removal are a power grab, adding that nothing will happen "unless we work together." It was noted that organized protests to demand Henry's resignation turned violent earlier this month.
Haiti Only Agenda During Caribbean Leaders' Summit in Guyana
In addition to meeting with Haiti PM Ariel Henry, the Caribbean leaders are also scheduled to meet with UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols in a four-day Caricom summit in Guyana.
The meeting with US and UN officials is scheduled for Monday morning, and Bahamas Foreign Minister Mitchell admitted that "Haiti is the only topic. Nothing else, really."
This meeting would likely discuss the sending of foreign troops to the beleaguered Caribbean nation, with several countries, including Kenya, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Burundi, Chad, and Senegal, already pledging to send troops to help keep the peace in the country and challenge the gangs currently dominating it.
After the meeting of Caribbean leaders, Prime Minister Henry is set to head to Nairobi, Kenya, to "finalize the modalities" of the deployment after it was halted by a court order in the African country.
Meanwhile, the international community has already pledged more than $100 million for the mission to Haiti, with the US pledging twice more.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Pledges $200 Million for Haiti Security Mission
The US is pledging the highest amount of money for the security mission to Haiti, and it was Secretary of State Anthony Blinken himself who confirmed this, according to CNN.
"We urge the international community to join us by contributing funding, contributing personnel, contributing equipment, contributing logistics, contributing training, to this mission," Blinken told his counterparts in the G20 Foreign Ministerial meeting in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday.
He added that the situation in Haiti is "one of the most urgent challenges we face as an international community" as gangs now control 80% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, describing the situation there by saying, "Half the country is eating just one meal a day. Three million children need immediate humanitarian aid."
READ MORE: Haiti Crisis Explained: How Did It Get This Bad?
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: New documentary "Fighting for Haiti" examines gang violence, political crisis in the country - CBS News
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