Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 20 janvier 2021

Haiti needs a strong COVID-19 response to maintain national stability

Against the backdrop of longstanding fragility, exacerbated by 18 months of a protracted political, economic, social and institutional crisis, the pandemic is “stretching this country’s already fragile health system and testing its meager social safety net”, Special Representative and head of BINUH, Helen La Lime, said via videoconference (VTC).

“A country of more than 11 million inhabitants, Haiti currently only has the capacity to treat a few hundred patients at a time”, she continued, also drawing attention to “suboptimal coordination within the State” and “inadequate funding of the national response plan”. 

Ms. La Lime also maintained that if the public health and socioeconomic dimensions of the pandemic are not addressed urgently, they risk further aggravating the humanitarian and socioeconomic situation, threatening significant human suffering and large population outflows – significantly impacting the whole region.

Stepping up in Haiti

Despite the pandemic, over the past four months, BINUH and the UN Country Team have been assisting Haitian authorities and institutions in progressing towards stability and sustainable development. 

“Along with its partners, it has advised the Haitian National Police in the successful resolution of long-standing labour disputes within its ranks, and it has assisted judicial actors in devising a virtual hearings system that will allow courts to continue functioning despite the current impossibility for them to physically convene”, she told the 15-member body.

Though seemingly small in scope, she believes that these advances have contributed to a cohesive police presence, that maintains order, and a judicial system that is able to guarantee victims’ rights in accessing justice.  

“Unfortunately”, Ms. La Lime acknowledged, “we continue to operate in a context where the upholding of the principle of accountability remains a key challenge”. 

Necessary reform

In the throes of the pandemic, a resurgence in gang activity is exacerbating the already volatile situation and compounding the plight of the most vulnerable. 

“The past weeks have seen a marked increase in the frequency and intensity of clashes between rival armed gangs that are vying to control greater swathes of territory in the most populous neighborhoods of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, likely in an effort to exert influence on the outcome of elections in those constituencies”, the UN envoy explained. 

She upheld that the “vicious circle of mistrust, recrimination, and ultimately violence”, is again starting to define Haitian politics, at a time when the entire society should be unified in responding to the pandemic, and working toward lasting foundations on which to build a successful future for the nation. 

It is becoming increasingly evident that Constitutional reform is needed to break the circle and create conditions for institutional stability, good governance and the rule of law, which she called “three essential characteristics for the country to thrive”. 

“Such reform can only be successful as a result of a nationally-owned process that combines strong leadership with genuine efforts by all”, she stressed. 

In closing, the Special Representative said that BINUH will continue to encourage authorities to “amplify the fight against impunity and the promotion of human rights”. 

“Through a sound use of the panoply of tools at its disposal, the UN system in Haiti will continue to support the expansion of multiple aspects of the response to COVID-19, accompany the country on the path of crucial institutional and economic reform, and provide assistance to ensure the timely holding of free, fair, and transparent elections, in an appeased climate”, she concluded. 

PAP JAZZ : LIVE STREAM

Good news for all PAPJAZZ fans abroad that can't attend the festival this year

Thanks to BRH, All the PAPJAZZ concerts taking place on our main stages will be live-streamed on our facebook page and of the pages of Chokarella, @haitiantimes, @haitianladiesnetwork , @ministereculturedhaiti and on the @métropolehaiti

See you everyday from Jan 16>23 from 6 PM - 9 PM

MEDIA ADVISORY: Elected Officials and Law Enforcement Leaders to Hold Briefing on What to Expect Ahead of Inauguration Day and Ongoing Threats of Violence

JOIN: Press briefing on January 15, 11:00 AM ET

 Following the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, there has been heightened attention paid to extremists’ online organizing and threats levied against state capitals and Washington, D.C. Ahead of the 59th Presidential inauguration next week, the FBI and local law enforcement officials have shared public warnings of planned armed protests in all fifty states and D.C. These coordinated threats require a response that meets the urgency of this moment. While Washington D.C. has activated the National Guard for additional security next week, state and local leaders are planning their own response to protect individuals from targeted violence.

 The nonpartisan Voter Protection Program (VPP) is holding a press briefing to discuss what to expect on Inauguration Day in states across the country and the days leading up to the event, and how elected officials and law enforcement leaders are working together to address ongoing threats of violence. This week, VPP released a report, “Countering Lies about the 2020 Presidential Election,” which examines election litigation in key battleground states and debunks the false claims that helped fuel the conspiracies that incited a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol. The VPP also shared guidance for law enforcement officers on how to address unlawful paramilitary activity, drafted by our partners at 21CP Solutions, the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law, and the Crime and Justice Institute.

 VPP’s network of bipartisan state and local officials is working diligently to safeguard the integrity of this election.

Airlines, Caribbean scrambling after CDC orders COVID-19 test for US travel

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JANUARY 14, 2021

Travel industry leaders and governments across the tourism-dependent Caribbean are scrambling to figure out how a new testing requirement for passengers flying into the U.S. will affect them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that as of Jan. 26, all international passengers arriving into the U.S. will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, or recovery from the virus. The test will need to be taken no more than three days prior to departure.

The measures are designed to help slow the spread of the virus. But they also risk having U.S. travelers stranded in countries where testing isn’t easily accessible, and could further decimate international air travel in a region already struggling to recover from the pandemic’s economic fallout.

Even more worrisome is the potential burden the new measures might pose on already strained health systems. Ten months into the pandemic, most countries in the Caribbean and Latin America are struggling to keep up with testing demands as two new variants emerge in the hemisphere and the number of COVID-19 infections sharply increases in one of the world’s worst hit regions.

“These growing changes within testing requirements within the travel industry will undoubtedly cause a setback in the economic recovery of small vulnerable destinations globally,” Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said, as he announced the country’s plans to ramp up testing to meet the CDC’s new requirement.

“These adjustments will place added pressure on the resources needed to treat our citizens, especially in countries that have made considerable efforts to successfully bolster their health and safety standards to insulate tourists and citizens alike.”

The CDC requirement expands on an earlier one for passengers arriving from the United Kingdom and applies to visitors as well as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The test can either be a viral reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR, COVID-19 test or a rapid antigen test.

Latin America and the Caribbean are Miami’s largest feeder market, with more than half of international overnight visitors to Miami-Dade County coming from the region in 2019, according to research from the county’s tourism marketing agency.

Though countries began opening their doors last year after months of lockdown, and many required negative COVID-19 tests for visiting foreigners, they benefited from the fact the U.S. had no such testing requirement —until now.

“These adjustments will place added pressure on the resources needed to treat our citizens, especially in countries that have made considerable efforts to successfully bolster their health and safety standards to insulate tourists and citizens alike.”

The CDC requirement expands on an earlier one for passengers arriving from the United Kingdom and applies to visitors as well as U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The test can either be a viral reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR, COVID-19 test or a rapid antigen test.

Latin America and the Caribbean are Miami’s largest feeder market, with more than half of international overnight visitors to Miami-Dade County coming from the region in 2019, according to research from the county’s tourism marketing agency.

Though countries began opening their doors last year after months of lockdown, and many required negative COVID-19 tests for visiting foreigners, they benefited from the fact the U.S. had no such testing requirement —until now.

But the pandemic is raging and data suggests infections are on the rise almost everywhere in the Americas.

In the last week alone, 2.5 million people were infected with COVD-19 in the region— the highest weekly caseload since the virus first reached the hemisphere, the Pan American Health Organization said.

That number includes record-breaking figures from more than a dozen states in the U .S., which is seeing more hospitalizations— over 132,000 — than when the pandemic peaked in the spring and summer combined, PAHO said.

Since the start of the pandemic, more than 39 million people across the region have become infected by COVID-19 and more than 925,000 have succumbed to the virus.

On Wednesday, PAHO officials reiterated the regional health body’s concerns over pre-departure testing, saying that it should not be used “as a tool to mitigate the impact of the spread of COVID-19.”

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 7 janvier 2021

 Under the Radar and at Warp Speed Cuba Leads Latin America Towards Affordable Covid-19 Vaccines

Posted by Internationalist 360° on December 15, 2020

Amy Goodman explored “The Case for People’s Vaccines.”

While those interviewed by Ms. Goodman called for early and affordable access to inoculations in the Global South, no mention was made of perhaps the most promising source of such therapies. The neglected source was not only promising but implicitly revealed the swindle represented by Big Pharma’s anticipated exorbitant prices for Covid-19 vaccines.

It may surprise readers to know that the source in question is Cuba.

Cuba’s Achievement

In fact, Cuba is the first nation in Latin America to receive authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO) to perform officially sanctioned tests of the four vaccines it now has under development. Those trials have already completed their clinical stages. Promising results so far have Cubans looking forward to completing the (cost free) inoculation of its entire population of 12 million by the end of March 2021.

The vaccines under trial are named Soberana 01, Soberana 02, Abdala (CIGB66) and Mambisa (CIGB669). None of them is dependent for its preservation on super-cold temperatures.

Mambisa is worthy of special note, since as a nasal spray, it requires no needles, but responds locally to the specifically respiratory nature of Covid-19.

Failure to report such developments even on “Democracy Now” illustrates the complicity of our mainstream media in shunning any news from socialist nations like Cuba that might possibly illustrate the superior ability of their economies to deliver high quality, no-cost healthcare to citizens even during a worldwide pandemic. Moreover, absent the profit motive, Cuba will predictably deliver its vaccines to its neighbors at vastly cheaper prices than its capitalist counterparts.

Cuba’s Vaccine History

This prediction is based on the fact that Cuba has long been a supplier of vaccines and doctors not only to the Global South, but to countries such as Italy during the height of Covid-19’s first wave. Additionally, with its unequaled ratio of doctors to citizens, the island nation’s response to the pandemic has effectively limited documented coronavirus infections despite supply problems caused by the continued U.S. embargo of the island.

All four developments (the superabundance of doctors, the relative control of Covid-19, Cuba’s research capacities, and the export of medical care to other countries) result from the foresight and vision of Fidel Castro, the revered father of his country. In the early 1980s he sparked initiation of a vigorous homegrown biotech sector – largely to cope with the U.S. embargo’s persistent attempts to deprive the island of medical supplies.

The result was the emergence of 20 research centers and 32 companies employing 20,000 people under the umbrella of the state-run BioCubaFarma Corporation. Recently, spokespersons connected with the corporation tweeted, “The #CubanVaccineCOVID19 is dedicated to the sower of dreams: Fidel. Our tribute to the one who believed in the strength and future of #CubanScience.”

BioCubaFarma produces 8 of the 12 vaccines Cuba uses to immunize its own population against diseases such as measles and polio. Cuba has also exported hundreds of millions of vaccine doses to more than 40 countries (e.g. to deal with meningitis and hepatitis B).

All of this represents just one more illustration of socialism’s comparative efficiency in the face of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Even a poor blockaded country like Cuba can respond to an unprecedented crisis such as the coronavirus without holding sick people hostage to the confiscatory demands of privatized natural monopolies like Big Pharma. The latter’s claims to mammoth profits based upon (largely government-funded) costly research are simply ideological cover for overweening corporate greed that none of us should stand for.

People’s vaccines can be produced at warp speed and at low cost – despite news blackouts even on “Democracy Now.”

Mike Rivage-Seul: Emeritus professor of Peace & Social Justice Studies. Liberation theologian. Activist. Former R.C. priest.

Explore Port-au-Prince’s Triumphant Art Scene

Haiti’s capital city may still be recovering from the destructive earthquake that struck in 2010, but its art community is thriving

By Jennifer Billock

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM 

 In the 1940s, a watercolor painter from the United States, DeWitt Peters, moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When he arrived, he observed the sprawling amounts of local art—adorning everything from walls and sidewalks to the local taxi buses called "tap-taps." The Indigenist movement was in full swing in Haiti; local artists were making both a name for themselves in the country and helping establish the nation's identity as separate from the United States' occupation through the art they created.

At the time, though, Haitian artists hadn’t considered that they could make money from their art. The small nation didn't even have its own art museum yet, so Peters opened Le Centre d'Art, an art gallery and school to encourage and promote local untrained artists, in 1944. Artists already popular in Haiti, including Hector Hyppolite, the Voodoo artist colloquially known as the "grandfather of Haitian art," made their way to the center and took up residence there; the center provided government-funded equipment and materials many artists couldn't afford.

Locally, the work produced at the center became well known, bringing in more students, most of whom were low-income locals. The government paid salaries to all the teachers, among them Peters and other accomplished Haitian artists of the time. And internationally, Haitian art took hold thanks to tourists visiting the small nation, spreading the word and bringing work back home. New York's Museum of Modern Art was the first major museum to acquire a piece of Haitian art.

Haiti Pushes Back on US Lawmakers' Call for Transitional Government in 2021

VOA News - Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, is outraged about a statement issued Tuesday by three Democratic U.S. congressmen calling for a “Haitian-led transition back to democratic order.”

“It is really disturbing,” Edmond told VOA on Wednesday in an exclusive interview. “It saddens us to see democratic officials call for a transitional government. We don’t think that going through a transition again will help Haiti.”

Haiti has had eight provisional governments since the departure of Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986.

The joint statement issued by Representatives Andy Levin, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Gregory Meeks, incoming chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Albio Sires, chair of the Western Hemisphere civilian security and trade subcommittee, says they are watching events unfold in Haiti with “growing concern.”

“Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is pursuing an increasingly authoritarian course of action, issuing a series of recent decrees that include creating an extraconstitutional domestic ‘intelligence’ force,” the statement said. “His latest actions are reminiscent of past anti-democratic abuses the Haitian people have endured, including the run-up to the Duvalier dictatorship. We will not stand idly by while Haiti devolves into chaos.”

'Limit the decrees'

Jon Piechowski, U.S. deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, echoed that concern in an exclusive interview with VOA Creole earlier this week.

“We are asking the government of Haiti to limit the decrees and only issue them to prepare the legislative elections or address issues pertaining to the well-being, health, security [of the Haitian people] until a new Parliament is installed and can address constitutional matters,” Piechowski said.

Moise has been ruling by decree since January 2020 because Parliament is out of session. The terms of two-thirds of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate expired months before the pandemic hit the Caribbean nation in March.

In their statement, Levin, Meeks and Sires said they would work with the incoming Biden administration and international partners to develop a multilateral strategy to address those concerns and hold accountable Haitian officials who violate the people’s human rights.

The lawmakers said they would develop a U.S. policy that “prioritizes the rights and aspirations of the Haitian people and supports a credible, Haitian-led transition back to democratic order.”

Meeting expected

Edmond told VOA he immediately reached out to the congressmen and intends to meet with them in the new year.

“I am looking forward to talking with them in January,” he said.

Haiti has faced increased pressure from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Organization of American States and the United Nations to hold elections as soon as technically possible.

Pompeo Calls on Haiti to Hold ‘Overdue’ Legislative Elections

A newly created electoral council is charged with organizing elections, but it faces pushback from Haiti’s opposition

But the ambassador said the January 2021 timeframe suggested by the U.S. was not feasible because the Moise government believes an overhaul of the current constitution is necessary first and plans to hold a referendum on that in early 2021.

“I think we have already met them in the middle,” Edmond told VOA. “We have agreed to elections. President Moise has done his job in naming an electoral council. We are working on possible calendars to submit now.”

Pressed on a precise date for elections, Edmond said the Moise administration did not want to give a date it could not realistically uphold. He said an election schedule was in the works and would be made public early next year.

As for the Provisional Electoral Council, Edmond told VOA that members were working with Haiti’s international partners “to make sure the election is fair. We understand this is the path to go.”

But Haiti’s opposition has criticized the Moise government for unilaterally naming members of the council without seeking its input and has vowed not to participate in any elections organized by the administration. The opposition urged Moise to step down February 7, 2021. He responded that his five-year term would end on February 7, 2022.

Concern about human rights

With regard to the human rights concerns expressed by both Republicans and Democrats, Edmond said the Moise government shared those concerns.

“What is going on in those slums [La Saline, Village de Dieux] is gang battles for turf control,” Edmond said. “What happened in La Saline, the government condemned it several times. There is a legal process going on. An investigative judge was appointed on this issue — he is working on it. We need to be very patient and make sure that these victims receive justice, because we understand that these crimes cannot remain unpunished. But the executive [branch] cannot interfere in the judicial process.”

During the La Saline massacre in November 2018, armed gangs killed at least 71 people, raped numerous women and destroyed the homes of hundreds of residents. U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly called on Haiti’s government to bring those responsible to justice.

The ambassador said the Moise administration had also prioritized training for the national police force, which has been under fire for human rights violations.

Reflecting on 2020 and his mission to reinforce bilateral relations, Edmond, who previously served as Haiti’s foreign minister, said that “it has been a pleasure to work with the Trump administration, and we are looking forward to working with the Biden administration.”

But at the end of the day, “Haiti will always handle its foreign policy considering its [own] interests,” he said.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 29 décembre 2020

Former Florida lawmaker arrested in Haiti on weapons charge, police official says

BY HANNAH PHILLIPS  FRESH TAKE FLORIDA

DECEMBER 25, 2020

A Florida lawmaker who was disciplined after using a gay slur against a political rival and who lost re-election earlier this year was taken into custody in Haiti on a weapons charge, police said Thursday. Circumstances of his arrest were a mystery.

A police official in the coastal community of Miragoâne, who declined to be identified, said former Rep. Al Jacquet, 40, D-Palm Beach, was charged with illegal possession of a weapon.

The police official said an investigation was underway, and the case has moved from the attention of local police to that of the national government. He could not say whether or when Jacquet might be released from custody.

A photo circulating on social media showed Jacquet’s expired driver’s license, state legislative ID card, a Glock 9mm pistol, magazines and spare ammunition. Information on the driver’s license matches documentation from a recent traffic citation.

Jacquet, a lawyer, did not respond to phone calls from a reporter or worried colleagues who have been trying to reach him. The U.S. embassy in Haiti and the State Department in Washington said it could not discuss Jacquet’s status under privacy laws. Family members were not home Thursday and did not immediately return messages left at their residences.

Jacquet served in Florida’s House since 2016 and represented a mostly low-income district in Palm Beach County until he lost the Democratic primary in August. 

Frantz St. Cloud, an acquaintance of Jacquet who was identified as a paid consultant for Jacquet’s political committee, said he hasn’t had any luck reaching Jacquet. Jaqcuet’s lawyer, Douglas Leifert, who is representing Jacquet in a traffic case, said he hasn’t heard from Jacquet since his latest court appearance.

Richard Ryles, a lawyer and former West Palm Beach city commissioner, said the accusations against Jacquet were out of character. He said he had not heard from Jacquet in Haiti.

“He has an ethical obligation to conduct himself at the highest level,” Ryles said. “I would expect that there are other circumstances fomenting this.”

Prior to his run for office, Jacquet served as a legislative assistant to Mack Bernard, a Haitian-born lawyer who served in the Florida House until 2012.

Jacquet made headlines for attempting to alter the language of Florida’s constitutional Amendment 4 to restore voting rights to ex-felons without requiring the full payment of court fees, though he was unsuccessful.

Jacquet lost a primary election earlier this year to Omari Hardy after invoking an anti-gay slur to describe Hardy on the “Al Jacquet Show,” his online radio program. As a result, Jacquet was stripped of his committee assignments toward the end of this year’s legislative session.

Hardy, a former Lake Worth Beach commissioner, said he hoped reports of Jacquet’s arrest weren’t true.

“I hope that he is able to get himself together because he’s a talented smart guy,” Hardy said. “As a Black man, I don’t think we can spare any talented Black men.”

Since his defeat in the August primary, Jacquet has failed to account for more than $38,000 in funds raised during his 2020 campaign. In August, the Florida Elections Commission fined Jacquet $650 after he failed to file a campaign treasurer’s report originally due Feb. 10. Jacquet has since failed to file a campaign termination report due on Nov. 16.

Coast Guard repatriates 110 Haitians aboard an overloaded boat on the Caribbean coast

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DECEMBER 23, 2020 10:29 AM

• More than 100 Haitians who were attempting to leave the counrty aboard an overloaded 40-foot boat were apprehended at sea and repatriated Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard. 
• According to the 7th District Southeast in Miami, the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute crew repatriated 110 Haitian migrants who were crammed aboard a wooden vessel painted blue with the words “Laewa Esperyans” (Laewa experience”) and “Ann Wiv Ansanm” (let’s live together) painted in red and yellow on its side.
• The group, wearing red and yellow life preserver jackets, were stopped about 50 miles north of Cap-Haitien, Haiti, after a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew spotted them in the water. Resolute’s crew diverted and brought the people aboard “out of abundance of caution for safety of life at sea,” the Coast Guard said.
• According to the Coast Guard, its crews have interdicted about 150 Haitian migrants in fiscal year 2021, which began Oct. 1, 2020. There were 418 Haitian migrants interdicted in fiscal year 2020 via at-sea interdictions, landings and other occurrences in the Florida Straits, Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
• Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all of those brought aboard receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Coast Guard crewmembers are equipped with personal protective equipment due to COVID-19.
• LEVIN, MEEK, SIRES STATEMENT ON RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN HAÏTI
• *December 22, 2020 Press Release*
• *WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Andy Levin (MI-09), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY-05), incoming Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Albio Sires (NJ-08), Chair of the Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security and Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement on recent developments in Haiti.*
• *“As members of the House of Representatives, we have spent recent weeks working urgently to rush relief to the American people amidst the COVID-19 public health and economic disasters. We want our friends in Haiti to know, however, that we are still watching what is unfolding there with growing concern. Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is pursuing an increasingly authoritarian course of action, issuing a series of recent decrees that include creating an extra-constitutional domestic “intelligence” force. His latest actions are reminiscent of past anti-democratic abuses the Haitian people have endured, including the run-up to the Duvalier dictatorship. We will not stand idly by while Haiti devolves into chaos.*
• *“When the 117th Congress convenes, supporting democratic actors in Haiti will be a top concern for this committee. We will work urgently with the incoming Biden administration to develop a U.S. policy that prioritizes the rights and aspirations of the Haitian people and supports a credible, Haitian-led transition back to democratic order. We will engage international allies and institutions to coordinate a multilateral strategy to address the ongoing crisis in Haiti and pursue accountability for Haitian officials who commit human rights violations and acts of corruption. As members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, we consider it our responsibility to monitor the events in Haiti and work in close collaboration with Haitian civil society organizations and citizens of goodwill that seek peace and democracy in their country. We assure the Haitian people that, as we tackle the crises we face in our own country, we will not forget our neighbors or our commitment to protecting their human rights.”*

Haiti is a failed state in irreversible decline

Santo Domingo, DR

LOCAL December 7, 2020 | 4:31 pm

The deep crisis that is hitting Haiti has led to the insecurity that diplomatic and consular officials have been forced to take precautionary measures to avoid being victims of kidnapping, a criminal modality in vogue as a reflection of the fact that the authorities do not guarantee the functioning of any of the essential services.

The insecurity that the neighboring country is experiencing has become complicated since the absence of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah), a situation that has become untenable in the last two months, which has led most diplomatic missions to take shelter and have the fewest personnel in the embassies and consulates.

As Haiti’s elected authorities have lost their monopoly on force, a power vacuum has been created that organized crime is trying to fill, affecting even the banking institutions.

Banks operating in Port-au-Prince and other major cities were forced to prohibit their employees from having their cell phones with them while they are at work. Many people have been kidnapped or assaulted when leaving banking establishments.

The insecurity of banking operations and their clients have moved to other complicity levels because, despite the measures taken by their executives, clients’ ambushes continue, which for many means that criminal networks reach different levels of hierarchy.

The increase in Haiti’s kidnappings was reported by the Spanish news agency EFE, which highlighted the authorities’ powerlessness to confront this phenomenon, “limiting themselves to advising the population to avoid being kidnapped.

“For at least a month, images of kidnapped persons have been circulating daily on social networks; among them, one of the most stupefying cases is that of a girl who disappeared more than a week ago and whose video in a school uniform is constantly circulating on social networks,” reports EFE.

A dangerous situation

Conversations with people living in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas revealed that the situation is perceived as very dangerous because low-income families have to send their children to schools or colleges at the mercy of prayers alone.

Middle-class sectors with economic power decided to move to the Dominican Republic by renting houses and enrolling their children in Dominican schools.

In the last seven days, 14 kidnappings were registered in the Haitian capital, including foreigners. However, the number of people kidnapped cannot be specified because, in that country, no law enforcement institution has this information systematized.

Since December, the criminal gangs were activated in exceptional circumstances when its members go out to “fish,” which is not difficult in a country where the public forces are weak. Its members already have a record of carrying out a protest, which leaves much desired.

Instead of announcing measures to contain the criminal wave, the Prime Minister of Haiti, Joseph Jouthe, after urging the population to be careful and vigilant, issued a decree creating the National Intelligence Agency (ANI), which is interpreted by diplomatic sectors as a desperate measure to reverse the chaos.

Not for a few experts and career diplomats who are familiar with the Haitian situation, creating the National Intelligence Agency is an unfortunate surprise because it was understood that this body for compiling, systematizing information, and monitoring organized crime already existed.

The timid measure is seen with anger not only by diplomats but by the majority of the population who accuse the government of being focused on the organization of the next elections that should be held on a date that the president himself has not yet defined. Since January, the Haitian president has been governing by decree when the legislators’ term ended, and the legislative elections were postponed. His period ends in February 2022.

Promises of elections

Large mass mobilizations preceded the worsening of the climate of insecurity that is being experienced at this time in Haiti in protest against the government of President Jovenel Moise, who, despite these facts, has remained unscathed, promising legislative and presidential elections without specifying when.

The widespread discontent expressed in the streets with the burning of private properties in Port-au-Prince and other cities has left. As a result, half a hundred people dead, to which has been added a peculiar protest in recent months by the Police itself, an institution called upon to preserve public order.

In addition to the kidnappings in Haiti, there have been selective murders of personalities, as occurred last August 28 when unknown persons ambushed the president of the Bar Association, Me Monferrier Dorval, a crime that dismayed the nation since he was one of the voices that advocated a new Constitution.

The Haitian police were unable to contain organized crime and common delinquency since an operation called Terminator 1 was ineffective in stopping the armed gangs’ actions, which operate in the most popular neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince, whose streets, businesses, and restaurants at night look deserted.

“At night, no diplomat or foreigner living in this city has to go out to look for anything, except to be murdered or kidnapped,” commented a source linked to the Haitian parliament.

Road trips from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince or any other Haitian city to that capital have been reduced because it is now a habit for carjackers to assault.

Failed State Sequel

Although most of the diplomatic corps based in Haiti have been cautious in calling the situation a collapse of the state, opinions are no longer reserved for the pillow or the official confidential reports of ambassadors and consuls.

A failed state is one that is unable to guarantee its functioning, such as the essential services it must provide to the population.

It is an expression, Failed State, that appeared in the political and diplomatic language in the last decades from the convulsions in Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, and Zimbabwe, where the authorities lose the monopoly of the force, legitimacy, and disputes between institutions are registered, as it happens for years in the neighboring country whose Constitution establishes two powers: the president and the prime minister.

The deep institutional crisis began to worsen since the United Nations’ stabilization forces decided to eliminate one of the few institutions operating: the Armed Forces.

“The dog died…”

Pushed by the violence and abuses generated by the Armed Forces and the so-called Ton Macoute, the international community applied the saying that “once the dog is dead, the rage is over” by passing the buck to the Haitian Army, Navy, and police.

Despite the remaining 13 years on Haitian soil, the United Nations’ military force only served to consume 7.33 billion dollars in that time, which were taken advantage of by contractors and suppliers, often with powerful sponsors.

The truth is that after their withdrawal from Haiti, the Blue Helmets did not fulfill any mission that has left a legacy in that island territory, except for the children of soldiers who procreated with Haitian women called “little Minustah,” who are abandoned babies, and that some of the countries from which those soldiers came, assumed paternal responsibilities.

This new theater in that failed state does not cease to represent a threat to its closest neighbor, where its president Luis Abinader has said that the Dominican Republic cannot bear that problem.

Détails

Catégorie : What's up Little Haiti

Création : 22 décembre 2020

 COURTS OF ACCOUNTS ASKS FOR GOVERNMENT’S SPENDING INVENTORIES

HAITIAN TIMES

The Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation (CSC/CA) has asked Michel Patrick Boisvert, the minister of finance, for a detailed inventory of certain purchases made on behalf of the government.

In its letter on Tuesday asking the spending details, CSC/CA officials invoked Article 88 of a recent decree requiring government agencies to provide the inventories to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, then the CSC/CA by Oct. 31, the letter reads.

The CSC/CA also sent a copy of the letter to Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe.

Rogavil Boisguéné reminded the Minister that Article 88 of the Decree of September 30, 2020 establishing the general budget of the Republic for the fiscal year 2020-2021 “requires the institutions of the State Administration to send to the Ministry of Economy and Finance for forwarding to the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes by 31 October at the latest, inventory at the acquisition cost of their tangible capital assets. Defense is made to financial controllers and public accountants to authorize to pay an expense without the submission of this inventory”.

“In fact, the failure to disclose these inventories to the Court significantly impedes the processing of requests for an audit of the management and decommissioning of public assets submitted to it,” said the President of the Council.

In this , a copy of which was sent tlettero Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, Rogavil Boisguéné further stated that “the proper execution of the state budget is conditioned by the production and submission of these inventories.”

Byanka Gauthier, a 24-year-old entrepreneur, was kidnapped on Dec. 16, 2020 - Woman kidnapped

A young entrepreneur was kidnapped in Port-au-Prince in broad daylight Wednesday afternoon.

Byanka Gauthier, 24, was driving from a business meeting in Lathan Plaine, a neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, when three vehicles began following her. One vehicle then pulled in front of Gauthier’s Nissan and blocked her. Quickly, two heavily-armed men then stepped out of their car and took control of Gauthier’s car. They threatened to kill her if she moved.

Gauthier’s kidnappers then called the family on Thursday to ask for a ransom, according to Gauthier’s older sister, who asked that her name not be disclosed.

Gauthier’s car was later found in Lilavois, Port-au-Prince.

Dr. Fauci, took the time to spotlight 34-year-old Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, the lead scientist behind one of the vaccines’ development.

 Le Coin de Carl

(CNN) Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging Black Americans hesitant to take the Covid-19 vaccine to trust the process -- in part because one of the scientists at the forefront of the vaccine's development is a Black woman.

The nation's top infectious disease expert, speaking at an event hosted by the National Urban League on Tuesday, said it was important to acknowledge the US history of racism in medical research and understand how that has fostered mistrust among some Black people.

But Fauci stressed that the upcoming Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective, adding that African American scientists have been involved in their development.

"The very vaccine that's one of the two that has absolutely exquisite levels -- 94 to 95% efficacy against clinical disease and almost 100% efficacy against serious disease that are shown to be clearly safe -- that vaccine was actually developed in my institute's vaccine research center by a team of scientists led by Dr. Barney Graham and his close colleague, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, or Kizzy Corbett," Fauci said.

USAID  donates hygiene kits for school children

Haitian Times

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said on Twitter Thursday that it distributed handwashing stations, buckets, soap, chlorine and pamphlets to 300 schools in five different departments to help Haiti fight against the novel coronavirus.

The distribution will help 30,000 students remain healthy during the pandemic. USAID donated the hygiene kits through its partnership with UNOPS and Caris Foundation Haiti.

As of Dec. 14, Haiti had 9, 627 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 234 deaths and 8,310 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Public Health.