A broad coalition of civil society groups called on President Biden to permanently discard the possibility of a military intervention in Haiti, as the country descends further into chaos.
In a letter to Biden Tuesday, the groups also called on the president to “reevaluate” his administration’s support for acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has clung to power since July of 2021, even as conditions in Haiti have deteriorated.
“We were heartened to see in your 2022 National Security Strategy a commitment to ‘not use our military to change regimes or remake societies,’ and we encourage you to follow through on that commitment in Haiti,” wrote the groups.
The coalition expands beyond Haitian advocates, including more than 90 civil society, faith-based, humanitarian, peacebuilding and diaspora groups ranging from the Washington Office for Latin America to the Chicago-based civil rights group Mi Villita Neighbors and the Quaker pro-peace lobby Friends Committee on National Legislation.
In their letter, the groups recognize the challenging conditions in Haiti, which have quickly deteriorated since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse shortly before Henry took power.
“We are acutely aware of the dire situation on the ground in Haiti. Nearly half the country is facing severe food insecurity and limited access to clean water; cholera, introduced by UN peacekeepers more than a decade ago, has rapidly reemerged; and fuel — critical to basic life, including water purification and electronic communication — is unavailable or prohibitively expensive,” wrote the groups.
“Compounding these issues, violence and insecurity have reached exceptional levels, and have particularly affected women, children, and the most marginalized,” they added.
Haiti’s gang violence has intensified under the Henry government, leading to widespread accusations of collusion between government and economic elites and gang leaders.
Beyond rising crime, the intensified gang activity has blocked traditional avenues of international humanitarian aid, aggravating shortages of basic supplies.
While many civil society groups were pleading with the Biden administration to reverse course on its support for Henry, the United States and Canada in October instead sent a shipment of armored vehicles to reinforce Haiti’s National Police.
Earlier in October, Henry and 18 of his top officials signed a document allowing Henry to request from abroad “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity.”