The Coordination Europe-Haiti (CoEH) held its general meeting in mid-October 2023 to discuss the latest developments and the increasingly catastrophic situation in Haiti. The CoEH is a network of European civil society organisations and platforms founded in 2004 that works closely with civil society organisations and movements in Haiti. The CoEH’s mission is to make the voices of Haitians heard by the European Union (EU) and its Member States, and it is in this context that it is calling on the EU to be more attentive to this extreme situation. Our appeal is an urgent call to action to facilitate the search for a genuine solution for Haiti’s future, in line with the wishes of the vast majority of the Haitian people.
Since the beginning of the year, the situation in Haiti has only worsened. The country is sinking deeper and
deeper into chaos, with no prospect of a future for the population. This chaos is characterised by the
unrestrained deployment of armed groups, who everyday control larger areas of the capital and certain
provincial regions, particularly Artibonite, the country’s main breadbasket. These bandits, who act with
complete impunity, drive people from their homes, kill, injure, burn, pillage and rape. In the first half of
2023, at least 2,000 homicides and 1,500 kidnappings were perpetrated by armed gangs, and more than
200,000 people were displaced by the violence in Haiti. On top of all this comes inflation, poverty, an
economy in disarray and hunger, which affects almost one Haitian in two. This crisis has been exacerbated
by the unilateral closure of the border and the massive military deployment by the Dominican Republic in
retaliation for the canal project on the Massacre River, intended to irrigate almost 3,000 hectares of Haitian
land.
It was in this unbearable context that the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on 2 October
authorising the deployment of a multinational security force led by Kenya to combat gang violence in Haiti,
without questioning the role played by those currently in power in Haiti who are responsible for this
situation of extreme violence. The sending of this yet another mission of international troops is presented
as a ray of hope for a country totally abandoned by its government. But what hope are we talking about if
this force, instead of attacking the root of the evil, merely reinforces the government that has led the country
to the hellish state it finds itself in today?
We are convinced that any effort to solve Haiti’s current problems must first and foremost involve putting
in place a functional government determined to manage the country. Unfortunately, this is not the case
with the government of Mr Ariel Henry, which has no legitimacy, no mandate and concentrates all the
powers in its hands without any control. Haiti now needs new leadership, a transitional government made
up of credible, progressive figures committed to promoting democracy, human rights, and respect for the
rule of law. This new government should create the conditions for the restoration of security in the country
and facilitate the holding of free and fair elections, allowing non-gang-affiliated politicians to stand for
election and guaranteeing the people’s freedom to vote and their right to choose their leaders. Only the
establishment of a credible transitional government will enable the police and security forces, with the
likely support of external forces as required, to effectively combat the gang violence and other forms of
violence that are plunging the population into bereavement.
In view of these worrying developments in the situation in Haiti, and taking into account the “Resolution
on the humanitarian and security situation in Haiti” adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
on 28 June 2023 in Brussels, the autonomous framework of restrictive measures adopted by the Council of
the European Union on 28 July 2023 and the Resolution 2069 authorising the deployment of a multinational
force adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 2 October 2023, the CoEH calls on the European
Union to apply its fundamental values and principles of justice, democracy and human rights in its policy
towards Haiti. More specifically, the CoEH calls on the EU to:
1. No longer support the illegitimate and presumed criminal government of Ariel Henry, but
rather support any initiative aimed at establishing a new governance in Haiti, which must
begin with the formation of a transitional government supported by a large majority of
Haitian society.
The CoEH calls on the EU to adopt a bold change of direction and strategy with regard to Haiti by
supporting a process of establishing a new governance in Haiti. The CoEH advises the EU to listen
to other voices, in particular those of a civil society that demands a radical change and the real
participation of Haitians in shaping their own destiny. With this in mind, we ask the EU to support
a process of political dialogue for the formation of a transitional and “break with the past”
government supported by a large majority of Haitian society and willing to take over the leadership
of the country on the basis of justice, equity and inclusion, and which is able to organise credible
elections.
2. Allocate the necessary resources to a true EU sanctions policy against individuals who
support gangs, arms, munitions and drug trafficking, as well as corruption in Haiti.
The CoEH takes note of the willingness expressed by the EU in the autonomous framework of
restrictive measures approved on 28 July 2023 to support international sanctions to combat the
trafficking of arms and munitions which plunges Haiti into mourning, as well as the corruption
which leads to the misappropriation of resources which should be used to improve the living
conditions of the population. The CoEH calls on the EU to help identify all those involved in these
crimes, whatever their nationality – European, Haitian, American and others – and to inform the
public, in a fully transparent manner, of the charges against these people and forward their files to
the Haitian justice system for follow-up.
3. Demonstrate transparency on the priorities of its action in Haiti and on the payments made
over the last two years to the Haitian government and to the funds dedicated to civil society
actors in Haiti.
The CoEH is asking the EU to provide Haitian civil society and European citizens with transparent
information on the aid currently granted to the government of Mr Ariel Henry and the mechanisms
for controlling this aid in a context where all the country’s institutions are dysfunctional and there
is suspicion that this government is colluding with armed groups. We want to make sure that the
resources of European citizens are not used to fuel the operations of armed groups and the chaos
we are currently witnessing in Haiti. At the same time, we support any aid that helps to establish
dignified living conditions for the population, that promotes the fundamental values of the EU and
that supports strategies that can help to resolve the Haitian crisis once and for all.
For the COEH,
Christophe Mohni, Coordinator CoEH
Ornella Braceschi, President Collectif Haïti de France/Steering Committee Member
