The current interim president is stuck abroad and criminal gangs are in charge in the capital. Many Haitians see the Transitional Council as a foreign construct.
Last weekend was again marked by violence in Port-au-Prince. Armed gangs attacked police officers in the Delmas neighborhood, spreading panic. “Burn down the houses so that everyone can escape” can be heard in a voice message published by a radio station. It is said to come from Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, one of the most powerful gang bosses. The gangs now control 90 percent of the capital, human rights groups estimate.
Port-au-Prince currently resembles a city under siege, several civil society representatives report to the NZZ. The population lives in constant fear. UN data shows the seriousness of the situation: 2,500 people were murdered between January and March, 53 percent more than the previous year. In addition, around 500 people were kidnapped and around 360,000 fled their neighborhoods.
Haiti’s police forces are poorly equipped and inferior to the gangs equipped with the most modern weapons from the USA, says sociologist Ilionor Louis from the Université d’État d’Haïti. Vigilante groups have already formed against the gangs in some districts of Port-au-Prince.
The transitional council is intended to fill the political vacuum
Fighting was also reported over the weekend around the National Palace, where the nine-member interim council appointed last week is due to begin work soon. Six members were appointed by the main political parties, plus one business representative and two observers from civil society. Until elections are held, the council will lead the country in place of the current interim president, Ariel Henry, and appoint a new prime minister. He is supposed to organize the elections, which have been overdue since 2020, and prepare the deployment of a 5,000-strong international police force led by Kenya.
Henry traveled out of the country at the end of February. In his absence, gangs had forced Port-au-Prince’s international airport to close, meaning Henry has not yet been able to re-enter the country. Under international pressure – especially from the USA – the locked-out prime minister promised to hand over power to the transitional council in March.
“The West is to blame”
Henry was appointed by President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 two days before his assassination. Many Haitians considered him an American puppet. They blame the USA, but also Canada and the former colonial power France for Haiti’s ongoing misery. After intervening militarily several times in the 20th century, the US and its allies are now manipulating Haiti’s politics, or so the narrative goes.
The Western powers always ensured that willing candidates were elected in Haiti and that their neoliberal project was implemented, says the sociologist Louis. The idea of the transitional council came from them. Accordingly, the newspaper “Haïti Liberté” ran the headline a few weeks ago: “US imperialists, get out and take your transitional council with you.”
Louis believes that Haiti must finally escape foreign tutelage. Henry’s economic reforms led to high prices for food and gasoline and worsened the economic situation. The consequence is that gangs with the narrative of class struggle gain support among the poor population. “We are currently threatened with the transformation of gangs into political forces that justify their violence with social injustice,” says Louis. In reality, corrupt local politicians and power-hungry businessmen are behind the gangs.
The interim council has no answers to this, says Louis. “There are traditional politicians there who are using the council to position themselves for the elections in a year.” Trade union activist Didier Dominique also agrees. The transitional council is merely the stage for the power struggles of the bourgeoisie.
But the US Marines are also being called out
Stephan Destin from the Proche organization, which is active in the reconstruction of southern Haiti that was devastated by earthquakes and hurricanes, is also critical of the transitional council. Even when the rules of the game were being drawn up, the political actors were hopelessly at odds: “This shows that they are incapable of developing a collective idea. This is a kindergarten full of selfish people.” It is questionable how the council, which is made up of party politicians, will agree on a new prime minister and avoid conflicts of interest in the upcoming elections. Ultimately, he is also responsible for setting up a provisional electoral court.
Destin advocates sending American troops instead of foreign police. US Marines would have a psychological effect. The gangs were afraid of them and didn’t dare fight them. The result would be an immediate stabilization of the situation. However, in order to break the gangs’ power, it is also crucial to stop the smuggling of weapons and ammunition from the USA to Haiti.
