Détails

Création : 22 mars 2024

Archbishop: Crisis in Haiti is ‘complicated’ and ‘very delicate’

John Lavenburg Mar 14, 2024

NEW YORK – In response to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis deploying hundreds of additional officers and soldiers to the state’s southern coast to protect against Haitian migrants, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami says “Haitians are not an ‘invasive species,’ and shouldn’t be treated as such.”

The archbishop also pushed back on the idea that an influx of Haitian migrants is imminent.

“Actually, in the last year the United States admitted some 100,000 Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Cubans under a special program that gave them work permits for two years if they had a sponsor who also paid for their ticket, so the ‘feared’ influx has begun long ago,” Wenski told Crux March 13.

DeSantis announced his decision in a March 13 statement, citing the circumstances in Haiti.

“Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and the state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state,” DeSantis said.

“No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida,” the governor continued.

The tumultuous situation in the Caribbean nation has boiled over in recent weeks. At present, gangs control 80 percent of the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, as they demand new political leadership and voice in the future. As a result, the city’s airport is closed.

Amid the turmoil, Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced on March 12 that he would resign from his post once a transitional presidential council is created. It’s a move that Wenski said is important from the standpoint that Henry has very little legitimacy among the Haitian people. On the other hand, with the control the gangs have, there’s also great uncertainty with what happens next.

“In one way you could almost say good riddance. However, in another way, the situation has become much more complicated and basically some of the leaders of the gangs are basically posturing to turn themselves into politicians, which is not unheard of in other countries,” Wenski told Crux. “The question now is how do they get out of this the best solution?”

Wenski, who has had a close relationship to Haiti – both the church and people – for decades, said that before Haitian Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne was severely burned in a Feb. 18 explosion he was very vocal that Henry should resign, and told Henry as much when they met. Dumas is now in stable condition, recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Henry was appointed to his post in 2021 by then-president Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated days later. Following the assassination Henry was never formally sworn into his role, and still has never officially been installed. Henry assumed the post anyway, promising to restore order and hold presidential elections.

Almost three years later, there is less order and no elections have been held.

Monsignor Pierre-André Pierre, the director of the National Center of the Haitian Apostolate in the United States, told Crux that the international community, particularly the United States, must help Haiti work towards peace and stability. He noted also, that even with the resignation of the prime minister there is still violence and instability, and “the whole situation has not changed.”

“In such a difficult time no one should be left by himself, and it is important that we count on the international community,” Pierre said. “It’s important that in times of crisis that we see involvement of the nations, the United States of America because there is a long history connecting the two countries.”

“The connection is so that it gives us some relief to know that the country is not alone. The proximity, that kind of connection, to show love, is something very, very important to the Haitian community,” Pierre continued. “To bring solidarity, to show love, and to show support, to take the people out of isolation and to give that kind of relief.”

On March 11, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the United States would provide $100 million to finance the deployment of a multinational force to Haiti to try and stop the nation’s crisis, and another $33 million to provide humanitarian aid and to help move along a political transition. However, some Haitian leaders rejected the political transition plan on March 13.

Wenski noted, however, that many people in Haiti, including a prominent gang leader, have spoken out about how they are not going to let the United States – or any other country – decide who their next leader is going to be, which makes the situation “very delicate.” Henry, for example, was backed by the United States, as well as other notable countries like Canada and France.

“That’s the big question,” Wenski said of how the international community should be involved. “Because usually foreign interventions end up causing more harm than good in the past.”

Beyond government assistance, there’s another kind of international assistance that Pierre said is vital. That is, people showing their support through both prayers, and continuing the financial support that many of them already provide to family members and others back home. He said it all helps the Haitian people persevere, as they hope for peace.

“They want peace. It is the security they are looking for. It is ultimately a state of law that they want to have, that they want to build, taking charge of the country itself,” Pierre said. “What we need is a normalcy, to see the country, to see the people being at peace and the violence to be gone.”

Follow John Lavenburg on Twitter: @johnlavenburg

United States Will Provide an Additional $25 Million to Address Humanitarian Crisis in Haiti

 March 15, 2024

On Over the past weeks, violence by organized criminal groups has escalated dramatically and worsened what is already a dire humanitarian situation in Haiti. At least 362,000 people are displaced, and 5.5 million people are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance as the most basic necessities including food, health care, water, and hygiene, are increasingly difficult to access.

 To help address these urgent needs, the United States, through USAID, intends to provide an additional $25 million in humanitarian assistance for Haiti. This builds on the $33 million for humanitarian assistance Secretary of State Blinken announced earlier this week. Our funding will support efforts by our United Nations and NGO partners to provide immediate food assistance, essential relief supplies, relocation support, psycho-social support, emergency health care, safe drinking water, and protection services for the most vulnerable, including women and girls, among other vital assistance.

 Humanitarian workers must be able to safely provide assistance for the most vulnerable. While the violence has forced some pauses of humanitarian operations, aid organizations are working tirelessly to reach the most vulnerable in Haiti. Our humanitarian partners have extensive experience working in challenging environments and have demonstrated their commitment to stay and deliver life-saving assistance with impartiality, neutrality, and independence, while protecting their staff and facilities. We require our partners to have robust safeguards and risk-mitigation systems in place, so that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most. I am grateful for their efforts, and for the brave staff at the U.S. Embassy and Mission – many of whom are Haitian – who are immersed in these challenges daily.

 The United States is the single largest humanitarian donor to Haiti. The new funding announced this week will build on the $146 million that the United States, through USAID, has already provided since October 2022, which will reach more than 1.5 million people with life-saving assistance. The international community must stand with Haiti in this moment. At present, the humanitarian response in Haiti is less than seven percent funded, based on UN estimates. We call other donors to join us in scaling up humanitarian assistance.

 The untenable violence serves only to delay the democratic process while upending the lives of millions. We urge all actors in Haiti to stop the violence and make the necessary concessions to allow for transparent, inclusive, and credible elections, unimpeded delivery of aid, and the restoration of democracy. Standing up the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission is crucial not only to support the Haitian people, but also to maintain stability in the region.

 We continue to stand with the people of Haiti, and remain committed to the country’s long-term stability.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (March 17, 2024)

Jeremiah 31, 31-34; Psalm 51; Hebrews 5, 7-9; John 12, 20-33

Msgr. Pierre André Pierre

Welcome, brothers,

Today, we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Lent. Soon our Lenten Journey will reach its climax in the events of the Death and Resurrection of our Lord. Today, the Word of God wants to plant hope in our lives. The seed of hope is Jesus Christ, planted to produce the fruits of salvation. The seed is also our own life, to be planted to produce fruits of salvation for ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and our world.

In the First Reading (the prophet Jeremiah) God promised to seal a new covenant with his people. In the Old Testament, obedience to the Law of Moses guaranteed Salvation. The new covenant would be more than just outward signs. It will be written on the hearts of the people. God Himself would dwell with His people and invite them into communion with Him. The new covenant will offer true forgiveness of sin and, therefore, will reunite humanity’s broken relationship with God. In the new covenant, we can personally know God.

How was the New Covenant established? In the Second reading, the Letter to the Hebrews explains that Christ established the New Covenant through His obedient suffering. He shed His blood for us on the cross and won salvation for us. Christ not only died to take away the sins of the world, but He rose again to overcome sin and its consequence of death. Because Jesus died, we can be forgiven of sin, have our relationship with God restored, and have His Law written on our hearts. In the New Covenant God dwells among us and offers us communion with Himself. Ultimately, the new covenant leads us to eternal salvation.

In today's Gospel Jesus speaks to his Apostles about the “Hour” of the New Covenant. Now that the Gentiles want to see him, he recognizes that the Time has come for him to die, like a seed planted in the ground so that new life can begin. This requires of Him complete obedience to the will of the Father until death. Jesus compares the fruitfulness of his death to the grain of wheat, which must die in order to bear fruit. Hence, Jesus’ death will bring forth the Church as its fruit. Christ becomes the model to follow. Lent teaches us precisely that to embrace the New Covenant we must do the Father’s will and agree to die to sin, however painful that may seem. What is required for salvation is Faith in Jesus and the spiritual transformation of the inner self.

Jesus lifted up on the Cross, will also be lifted to heaven, experiencing death as the Hour of Glory. He will share His victory with all who accept to die to sin and embrace the New Covenant. Lent opens our eyes to the Mystery of Christ and our calling! it is a road that leads us to the being lifted up.

Each of us is a grain of wheat that has to be buried to bear fruit. As we identify ourselves with Jesus Christ, he calls us to do what he did to ourselves.

DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA

MAYOR
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

March 12, 2024

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Biden,

The ongoing political, security, and humanitarian crisis in Haiti has profound implications for Miami -Dade County due to our significant Haitian community and close proximity to the island.
In light of this, I am writing on behalf of Miami-Dade County to formally request multiagency community briefings. We believe that increased coordination among federal agencies, Miami-Dade County, and community leaders will allow us to better meet the challenges that will continue to arise.

We propose a multiagency, in-person meeting as soon as possible with local and community leaders to discuss pressing issues related to the crisis unfolding in Haiti, including international airport closures, food and potable drinking water shortages, and the recently announced U.S. Southern Command plan to mobilize support for the Haitian National Police. Miami-Dade County’s Emergency Management Department has also been closely monitoring the situation with regular briefings through Operation Vigilant Sentry.

Your consideration of our request is greatly appreciated as the Haitian community in Miami-Dade County is a foundational part of our rich social and cultural fabric. We look forward to engaging in a productive dialogue that will contribute to a more comprehensive and effective response to the crisis since the greater Miami area is home to the largest concentration of Haitian immigrants in the United States.

Thank you for your leadership and your attention to this matter. Should you require any additional information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,
Daniella Levine Cava

CC:
Anthony Blinken, Secretary, United States Department of State
Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary, United States Department of Homeland Security Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners

DHS NEEDS TO REDESIGNATE HAITI FOR TPS

Washington, DC 20037

Dear President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Mayorkas:

Extend and redesignate Haiti for TPS

The existing TPS designation for Haiti is set to expire on August 4, 2024. All the conditions leading to the Biden administration’s original TPS redesignations on December 5, 2022, and August 3, 2021, in addition to the deteriorating crisis described herein, exhibit temporary and extraordinary conditions that make a safe return to Haiti impossible. The undersigned organizations request that the Biden administration consider redesignating Haiti for TPS as soon as possible.

Redesignation will allow protection against removal and eligibility for work authorization to all eligible Haitians currently in the United States. The current TPS recipients from Haiti in the United States, many of whom have been here for decades and have children who are U.S. citizens, have also become essential to our economy and our morale as a country.

Moreover, TPS promotes recovery, development, and regional stability by preserving and increasing the flow of remittances to Haiti and directly into the pockets of people who can use the money for food, healthcare, housing, education, and other basic needs that will help decrease the flow of migration. Remittances capture over 60 percent of foreign inflows, make up a substantial share of Haiti’s GDP, and serve as a lifeline for most Haitians.^[1]

Indefinitely halt deportations to Haiti, release detained Haitians, and support administrative closure of removal cases

Although the Haitian government has been unable to receive and reintegrate its citizens safely, the U.S. Coast Guard has deported 131 Haitians interdicted at sea since October 2023, including 65 individuals on March 12.^[2] In addition, monthly deportation flights continue. There have been 253 deportation and expulsion flights to Haiti since September 19, 2021. Most of these estimated 26,000 individuals removed to Haiti were blocked from seeking asylum and other protection by Title 42 policies. These removals severely undermine the administration's promise to build a fairer and more inclusive

immigration and asylum system for all and contribute to the destabilization of Haiti.

Haitian Bridge Alliance

[add other organizations]

Cc:

The Honorable Kamala D. Harris, Vice President of the United States

Attorney General Garland, Department of Justice

Advisor Jake Sullivan, National Security Council

We ask the Biden administration to halt all removal flights and maritime removals to the already-overburdened country.

[1] Haiti’s Turnaround and its Impact on Remittances, The Dialogue, Leadership for the Americas (November 15, 2022), https://www.thedialogue.org/blogs/2022/11/haitis-turnaround-and-its-impact-on-remittances/.

[2] U.S. Coast Guard News, Press release, Coast Guard Repatriates 65 Migrants to Haiti (March 12, 2024),  https://www.news.uscg.mil/Press-Releases/Article/3704408/coast-guard-repatriates-65-migrants-to-haiti/.

Détails

Création : 12 février 2024

The Catholic Church calls on Ariel Henry to step aside

paptimesnewsFebruary 9, 2024

The Conference of Bishops of Haiti issued an urgent statement today, urging Prime Minister Ariel Henry to take decisive action to halt the spiral of violence gripping the country. In a climate of heightened political and social tensions, the Catholic Church has unequivocally aligned itself with peace and national security. 

“Stop the bloodshed and cease the loss of lives!” declared the Haitian bishops in a press release this morning. They demanded an immediate halt to the violence, which has already claimed the lives of numerous innocent individuals and continues to imperil the nation’s stability. 

In their declaration, the bishops expressed profound concern regarding the ongoing deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in Haiti. They underscored the government’s duty to safeguard the lives and rights of all Haitian citizens, as well as to ensure the nation’s security and stability. 

“We implore Prime Minister Ariel Henry to act with wisdom and courage in seeking peaceful and enduring solutions to the current crisis,” stated the bishops. Additionally, they called upon all political, social, and economic stakeholders to demonstrate responsibility and restraint in their actions, thereby averting any escalation of violence and chaos.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate <

SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B - February 11, 2024

Leviticus13, 1-2 + 44-46; Psalm 32; 1 Cor. 10, 31-11, 1; Mark 1, 40-45    

Msgr. Pierre André Pierre

People were coming to Jesus from everywhere. Mark in his Gospel shows Jesus “moved by pity” and touching the sick to heal them of their physical ailments. This Sunday, February 11 is World Day of the Sick. It is an annual observance started by Pope John Paul II in 1992 as a way for believers to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses.

From the book of Leviticus to the Gospel of Mark, the word of God today speaks to us of these people who are affected by leprosy. This contagious disease was considered the consequence of sin. It was all the more reason to exclude the lepers from the community and the city. To avoid any contamination, lepers had to be kept away. They lived among themselves hidden along the roadside, in the suffering of exclusion, without a home or income.

What is Jesus’ attitude towards them? He was concerned about all the excluded. They were even his priority. With him, Evil does not have the last word. He is not afraid to defy the prohibitions by touching the leper. The freedom that he takes finds its source in his love for God and for the person who is sick. It is a love without borders that is not afraid to shake up the rules and makes his freedom authentic. Jesus' long-term objective is to set us free from Evil, the real leprosy of the soul, the primary cause of all our deadly woes.  He wants to set us free of death itself. His healings are a first step toward that inner healing of the heart from sin, a gift much greater than the temporary cure of a passing ailment.

We can think of all the sick and disabled people who live on the margins of society and who suffer from loneliness and abandonment. This Health Sunday is intended also to make visible all caregivers, researchers, helpers, visitors to the sick, chaplaincies, and all associations that care for sick, elderly, or disabled people.

The service to the most vulnerable, however, is not just the business of a few. It concerns us all. To fulfill this mission let us turn to Jesus. First in Promoting Compassion. It is vital to show compassion and empathy towards individuals who are sick, recognizing their dignity, and providing them with the care and support they need. Second in recognizing the valuable contributions of professional caregivers and volunteers who work tirelessly to alleviate suffering and provide comfort to patients.

Finally, let us join Jesus in caring for everyone through acts of service and prayer. He invites us to recognize the inherent dignity of every person as a child of God, a brother or a sister, and the importance of solidarity in the journey towards healing, well-being, and building together the kingdom of God.

US senators express support for democratic governance in Haiti

Cardin, Durbin, Kaine, Merkley, Booker, Van Hollen, Welch, Murphy express support for democratic governance in Haiti …

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) issued a statement on what should have been Haiti’s Presidential Inauguration Day on February 7, 2024.

“Exactly 38 years ago, the Haitian people succeeded in expelling a dictator from their shores. Five years later, Haiti’s first democratically-elected president assumed office. Today should have marked the presidential inauguration of the first democratically elected Haitian leader since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 following commitments from the de facto government of Ariel Henry to hold elections in 2023 under the December 21 accord. However, rather than today being a celebration of Haitian democracy, continued waves of murders, kidnappings, and sexual assaults by violent gangs – often using U.S. made weapons – have made it impossible for the Haitian people to hold free, fair, and democratic elections.

“We stand in solidarity with the Haitian people who bravely and resiliently continue to aspire to create a safer, more economically prosperous, and democratic society. We urge the de facto government of Ariel Henry to take serious and concrete steps, alongside major opposition actors, to lay the groundwork for the creation of a transition consensus government capable of holding free and fair elections. We also urge the U.S. government and our partners in the international community to redouble efforts to support the Haitian people in sustainably addressing the country's ongoing security, governance, and humanitarian challenges. Only by doing so can we find a path forward to bring back peace and prosperity for all Haitians.”

Myrtha Désulmé | The hypocrisy over Haiti

January, 1, 2024, ushered in the momentous 220th anniversary of Haiti’s independence, an unprecedented feat never again repeated anywhere. But while the world owes a debt of gratitude to Haiti for freeing humanity by pioneering the cycle of abolition, Haiti was instead condemned to perpetual persecution because that magnificent victory shattered the world economic order based on the heinous scourge of slavery. 

The 220 years of ostracism, plunder, isolation, persecution, demonisation, repression, and destabilisation by France and the US, to ensure that Haiti would never emerge as a nation, have now resulted in utter chaos where gangs are in effect running the country, committing the most heinous crimes all day every day with total impunity, under the complicit eye of an illegitimate criminal government, which is being imposed by the US to preside over a literal genocide against the Haitian people.

To make matters worse, the same imperialist powers, which, based on reports by the US Department of Homeland Security’s investigations unit and the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes, have flooded Haiti with guns, and engineered the violence, massacres, and mayhem, are using that as a pretext, to once more trample on Haiti’s Constitution and sovereignty by planning another disastrous military occupation to entrench the illegitimate government, and thwart, yet again, the Haitian people’s struggle to regain their sovereignty. The coup de grace is being administered by Haiti’s Caribbean neighbours, led by Jamaica, and Kenya, who are all jumping up to volunteer to be used as pawns to carry out this transgression.

BRAINWASHED

And lest anyone should think that all of the above is just conspiracy theory, as many have been brainwashed to believe, we suggest that they listen to Minister Horace Chang’s “Beyond the Headlines” interview, on December 5, in which Dionne Jackson Miller valiantly sought to take the Government to task for the cruel and illegal summary deportations of Haitian refugees. Chang tried to drown out Dionne with loud denials and strident protestations about all of the wonderful assistance that Jamaica is supposedly providing for Haiti. In the heat of this verbal torrent, Minister Chang forgot himself and said the quiet part out loud: “The world has victimised Haiti,” he asserted, “and Jamaica is not going to take on that responsibility.” 

Bam! The Truth will out! Truly a jaw-dropping moment! After decades of pretence that the centuries-old international plot to oppress and destroy the Haitian people was nothing more than a conspiracy theory, finally a stunning admission from a high-level Caribbean official on national radio that not only is it common knowledge, but what’s more, it’s none of our business! 

So why all the hypocrisy on the part of CARICOM in jumping to take part in a supposed “Security support mission”, due to its deep concern for “the welfare of our Haitian brothers and sisters”, when Minister Chang’s inadvertent admission and the egregious inhumanity meted out to the refugees have proved time and again that the welfare of the Haitian people is the furthest thing from their minds? Simple. There’s money in it. Haiti is once again being sold on the auction block. 

ABYSMAL

The US and UN’s track record in Haiti is so abysmal that in order to maintain the moral high ground on Ukraine, their lips dripping with spurious platitudes advocating for the “democracy and self-determination” in Ukraine which they are blatantly crushing in Haiti, they have been forced to tour the world searching for fronts to hide behind to continue perpetrating their extermination plan against the Haitian people. All self-respecting nations turned down the dirty job. So in a vulgar show of yard fowl politics, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken started bandying about the ever-escalating hundreds of millions of dollars that have brought the CARICOM and Kenyan “volunteers” running to “rescue Haiti”. US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary Blinken also made unprecedented trips to The Bahamas and Trinidad to meet with CARICOM Heads and promise myriad initiatives that will yield hundreds of millions more in economic benefits.

So, why couldn’t those hundreds of millions have been used over the last three years to stem the flow of guns, rendering the gangs inoperative; to train, equip, and pay the Haitian police and army; and to organise a disarmament and reinsertion campaign? Instead a special passport office was set up to facilitate at least 1,800 Haitian policemen to migrate to the US while they seek to impose 1,000 Kenyan policemen from a force that several human rights organisations and the US itself have condemned for shocking human-rights abuses, including the murder of 33 marchers last July. Now that the High Court of Kenya has ruled the deployment unconstitutional, it might not be too late to finally do the right thing vis-à-vis the Haitian police, rather than appealing the decision or trying to bulldoze the illegal deployment through anyway.

Those who were pretending not to know that Haiti was victimised are now pretending to believe that the oppressors who have reduced Haiti to blood and ashes have hired them for the very noble mission of stabilising Haiti and not as plantation overseers to enforce in their stead its continued victimisation. 

In the statement I delivered on behalf of the Haitian People to the Eminent Persons Group mandated by CARICOM to mediate the negotiations between the Haitian Stakeholders, I gave them a single guideline for their endeavour: to not show contempt for Haiti by trying to impose on her what they would not accept for their own countries. But that is precisely what CARICOM has done. They have even gone as far as to insult the Haitian People by thinking of the possibility of inviting gang leaders into the negotiations! 

WHAT MANNER OF MEN?

Once upon a time, CARICOM leaders were intellectual giants with moral authority and a deep sense of history from which they derived their principles, backbone, character, pride, and ensuing self-respect. In 2004, weathering threats and pressure from the State Department, CARICOM refused to sanction the coup d’état against democratically elected President Aristide by the US and France, opting instead to suspend Haiti from the Community for two years until a new president was democratically elected. 

It is hard to comprehend the vertiginous devolution of this new crop of CARICOM Heads, who for the most part, seem to have no other ambition than to ingratiate themselves to empire for economic gain. They have not been honest brokers. They have accepted to traffick in their own legitimacy to legitimise a criminal and illegal dictator, officially implicated in the assassination of his predecessor, who is presiding over the genocide of his own people. They have shielded Haiti’s tormentors by providing them with a black face for the outsourced repression of the Haitian people.

The late great journalist John Maxwell famously declared that what the Caribbean needs is a CARICOM of the people. The lionised sage had long ago recognised that the gallant People of the Caribbean were not to be confused with their leaders, who are mostly pursuing self-serving interests. The Haitian people do not want the occupation. The Caribbean people are against the occupation. The Kenyan people have rejected the occupation. They have all marched against it. But their so-called leaders are charging headlong with tunnel vision towards the lure of profit. 

It is a cruel irony that the Haitian people, who literally invented human rights and ultimately broke the chains of slavery off their neighbours’ feet are the ones being denied the right to live as human beings and being subjected to this day to a relentless struggle against re-enslavement. We call on all well-thinking persons, particularly the people of the Caribbean and Africa, to rise up for the liberation of Haiti on this her 220th anniversary of independence in this Decade for People of African Descent and to stand against the continued trampling of her sovereignty and constitution, which by the way, the would-be occupiers plan to unilaterally rewrite. 

History is not only written by the victors. It is also written by the survivors. Let us not allow our past to be a rebuke to our present, but rather to illuminate it. A generation that ignores history has no past and no future and will not be absolved by history.

Myrtha Désulmé is an advocate for Haiti. She is the founder and president of the Haiti-Jamaica Society and represents the Haitian Diaspora in the Montana Group, a civil society movement working to resolve the ongoing Haitian crisis. Send feedback to Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. and Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..

Several BSAP agents killed in La Boule

paptimesnewsFebruary 7, 2024

In the La Boule neighborhood located in the heights of Petion-ville, agents of the Brigade for Protected Areas Security (BSAP) fell into a brutal ambush by police members. The incident, which occurred this Wednesday, led to the death of several BSAP agents, despite no direct threat from them towards the police.

What makes this incident even more tragic is that the BSAP agents posed no direct threat to the police members.

Détails

Création : 26 février 2024

Assassination of Jovenel Moise : New accusations against Pastor Sanon in the USA

HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7

15/02/2024 09:34:20Wednesday February 14, an update of the indictment concerning the Haitian - American, Pastor Christian Emmanuel Sanon (65 years old) who aspired to replace President Jovenel Moïse and who was transferred into the hands of American justice end of January 2023 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-38745-haiti-flash-assassination-of-moise-4-suspects-detained-in-haiti-transferred-to-the-usa.html was filed by prosecutors in federal court in Miami.Sanon was previously accused of conspiring to illegally smuggle bulletproof vests into Haiti for the Colombian commando and for planning a military expedition against a friendly nation in violation of the United States Neutrality Act.He is now accused of "conspiring to kidnap and kill the President of Haiti". This addition of charges against Sanon represents a substantial change in his involvement in the assassination, since, until now, the investigation indicated that he was aware of the plot to arrest and overthrow the President of Haiti, but that he was unaware of the others' final decision to kill him.Three of the nine crimes Sanon is charged with in this revised indictment, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, including charges of "conspiracy to provide material support resulting in death" and "conspiracy to kidnap or kill a person outside the United States".

(Miami Herald, February 15, 2024)

Christian Emmanuel Sanon, the Haitian-American pastor who hired former Colombian soldiers to protect him in Haiti while he aspired to replace President Jovenel Moïse, is now being charged with conspiring to kidnap or kill Haiti’s leader, according to a revised indictment filed Wednesday (Feb. 14) in Miami federal court.

Sanon, 65, who has lived in Broward County and elsewhere in Florida, was previously charged a year ago with conspiring to smuggle bullet-proof vests to Haiti for the Colombians, a violation of U.S. export laws, and plotting a “military expedition against a friendly nation,” a violation of the U.S. Neutrality Act.

But the amended indictment filed by federal prosecutors in Miami places Sanon in the deadly plot that led to Moïse’s middle-of-the-night assassination on July 7, 2021. The addition of the more serious charges against Sanon represents a significant development because both federal prosecutors and FBI agents had said in court hearings and documents that Sanon was aware of the plot to arrest and overthrow Haiti’s president but unaware of the final decision by others to kill him.

Sanon had been in the running to be president during a botched June 14, 2021, attempt at the Port-au-Prince international airport to arrest Moïse upon his return from a trip to Turkey. Days after the assassination, Sanon was arrested by Haitian authorities at his home in Port-au-Prince.

Christian Emmanuel Sanon has been living on and off in Florida for more than 20 years, from the Tampa Bay area to Hollywood, Boynton Beach and Margate.

Homeland Security Investigations and Haiti Ministry of Justice establish Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit

WASHINGTON — U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) International Operations Assistant Director (AD) David J. Magdycz, and Haiti Minister of Justice Emmelie Prophete-Milcé, signed a memorandum of cooperation at HSI headquarters in Washington D.C., Feb. 13, to formally establish the Haiti Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU).

The memorandum provides the framework for TCIU operations and details the responsibilities of both parties. The TCIU will facilitate the exchange of information between law enforcement partners in the United States and Haiti, and will enhance the abilities of Haiti and the United States to investigate and prosecute those involved in transnational criminal activities. TCUIs are a critical component of HSI’s efforts to build partner nation capacity and combat Transnational criminal activity at the source, preventing its entry into the U.S.

“Establishing the TCIU is a pivotal moment in our collective efforts to combat transnational crime and ensure the safety and security of both our nations,” said Magdycz.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the Department of State, Chris Landberg, and leadership of the Haitian National Police (HNP), also attended the signing ceremony.

HSI’s Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU) program currently partners with 17 countries. TCIUs are multi-discipline units comprised of vetted foreign law enforcement, prosecutors, and customs, immigration and intelligence officials that share information and operational activities. TCIUs provide operational support to HSI personnel at foreign posts who do not possess law enforcement authority in their host nations. Through this partnership, HSI and TCIUs work together to develop and expand investigations overseas in compliance with host country laws, agreements, treaties, and U.S. mission policies.

In FY 2023 TCIU teams conducted 2,973 criminal arrests and seized:

• Over 232,218 pounds of illegal narcotics and precursor chemicals;
• 484 firearms;
• 42,957 rounds of ammunition;
• $5,363,299 in U.S. currency;
• $10,496,905 in counterfeit goods;
• $25,858,760 in seized general merchandise,
• $10,839,000 in seized real estate; and
• $451,720 in seized virtual currency and assets.

As the principal investigative component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is responsible for investigating transnational crime. In collaboration with its partners in the United States and abroad, HSI special agents develop evidence to identify and advance criminal cases against transnational criminal organizations (TCO); terrorist networks and facilitators; and other criminal elements that threaten the homeland.

National Center of Haitian Apostolate

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT - Year B - February 19, 2024

Genesis 9, 8-15; Psalm 25; 1 Peter 3, 18-22; Mark 1, 12-15.

Msgr. Pierre André Pierre

Ash Wednesday opens the penitential season of Lent, which prepares us for Easter, the great annual celebration of the Death-Resurrection of Christ. Every Christian is called to die to sin and emerge with Christ to a newness of life. Baptism is the Easter sacrament par excellence. It is a public demonstration of the willingness to die to sin and be born again.

The first Sunday of Lent is always dedicated to the temptation of Jesus. Today, the text of the temptations comes from the Gospel of Mark 1, 12-15. There are no details. Just that it happened. If we want a more detailed, more dramatic, more biblical story, we should see the parallels in the gospel of Matthew or Luke.

In two verses, Mark says it all: “Jesus remained forty days in the desert, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild beasts and the angels served him,” Mark summarizes forty days of his life. Why so short? Forty days of prayer in the desert, surrounded by wild beasts and angels, no adoring and shouting crowds, no stones turned into bread, no high mountains, no flattering words from Satan, no list of temptations, no miracles… Just Jesus and Satan, Jesus and God.

The Gospel describes the confrontation between Christ and Satan in which Jesus, the invincible Lord of the New Covenant, puts Satan to flight. Humanity will no longer be drowned in the devastating waves of evil as long as it clings to Jesus, the invincible Lord.

The book of Genesis reminds us that Noah was saved from the raging waters of the flood. This is an image of baptism. A sinful world was destroyed by water while a new world was born with Noah. Saint Peter in the second reading proclaims that Christ died for our sins. As he is resurrected, we must rise with him towards the new life. Our birth to new life must be reactivated at Easter!

And the Church keeps telling us: repent and believe. Lent invites us to serve God with joy. We cannot let ourselves be drowned in the turbulent waters of sin. Thanks to Jesus, the second Noah, we have now entered the time of fulfillment. We are citizens of a new era. The risen Lord calls us to preserve our baptismal purification and to stand as a reborn people. 

Like Christ, let us put ourselves at the service of our brothers and sisters, without borders. We have a mission to stand with them for life.

Police Officer on Haiti Mission Found Dead in DC Hotel

February 15, 2024 adminLATEST NEWS  120 views

(Le Floridien) — Authorities in Washington D.C. are investigating the death of Walter Nyamato Nyankieya, a Kenyan Police Commissioner, who was found dead in his hotel room on the morning of Wednesday, February 14.

Colleagues raised the alarm after Nyankieya failed to wake up and did not respond to phone calls. Hotel management then contacted the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police, who broke into the room and discovered his lifeless body. Kenyan authorities were notified and subsequently informed Nyankieya’s family of the tragic event.

Nyankieya was part of an advance team sent to Haiti on a reconnaissance mission in preparation for the deployment of Kenyan officers. Sources close to the matter, speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, revealed that Nyamato served as the personal assistant to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Noor Gabow, and was part of a delegation of senior officials visiting the U.S. over the weekend.

The Kenyan delegation arrived in Washington on Saturday to participate in a security operations seminar aimed at enhancing security measures in the Caribbean nation, booking accommodations at various hotels throughout the state.

The cause of Nyankieya’s death remains unknown. He is mourned by his family and colleagues as a dedicated officer deeply committed to his duties. “My heart is bleeding! The Nyamato family is mourning! My little brother is no more. Sad to die in your prime years. We had many plans for this year. God knows what happened. He has the answers. I believe we will meet again,” expressed Bernard Nyamato.

“I still can’t believe you’re gone, Walter. I hesitated to post as I wasn’t sure if your family had been informed. It hurts,” commented police officer Sammy Ngare through his official social media channels.
U.S. authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of Nyamato’s death. His body is expected to be repatriated to Kenya following the completion of the investigation.”

Détails

Création : 25 janvier 2024

National Center of Haitian Apostolate 

REFLEXIONS - THIRD SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME YEAR B Jan 21, 2024

Jonah 3, 1-10; Psalm 25; 1 Cor. 7, 29-41; Mark 1, 14-20 

Msgr. Pierre André Pierre

On this third Sunday in the Ordinary Time of liturgical year B, the Church invites us to meditate on the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The first action he takes is to call for disciples: Simon and Andrew, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were throwing their nets into the sea or repairing them. They leave everything and follow Jesus. For the moment, he only asks them for their goodwill, their character, and their free consent. They are fishermen. They will become fishers of men. Their presence around Jesus signals that the future of the Kingdom of God is looming on the horizon.

The so-called synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) begin the mission in Galilee. The Gospel of St John told us last Sunday that it all began on the banks of the Jordan River in Judea. In either case, it is Jesus who chooses, invites, and takes the initiative to add men to carry out the mission.

The purpose of the call is first to be with Jesus. Those called will become disciples. The time of fulfillment has come. The Kingdom of God is at hand. They will repent and believe in the Gospel. They will listen to it every day. They will eat and drink with Jesus. They will be associated with his different missionary activities. They will believe in the Good News of Salvation for all. They will learn from the Lord Jesus himself what they will later witness during their mission. At the Master's school, they will learn to experience and know the love of God, which has no measure.

In today's first reading, Jonah carries out the mission that God has entrusted to him, after many adventures, resistance, and fear in his stomach. Jonah does not believe that God loves all people, including aliens, and that He is the God of the universe. His presence is not limited to a place, a country, or a religion. He is universal. 

In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the very near future of man is in the resurrected Christ. Too many tend to see this world as the only thing that counts. He recommends repentance and distancing oneself from passing goods. With Christ, the Kingdom of God is already inaugurated. It is not yet fully accomplished, but it is already there. The real priority is to be entirely focused on the definitive encounter with Christ. Like the first disciples, let us be prepared to give up our former way of life and follow Jesus unreservedly

This January 21, 2024, is also called: Sunday of the Word of God. It was established by Pope Francis in the year 2019. It is an invitation for all Christians to put the Bible, the Word of God, at the center of their lives. It is also the Sunday of the Annual Weekly Prayer for Christian Unity. With one accord, with all our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, and all people of goodwill, let us turn to the Lord and His Word. He can change our hearts. He will teach us the way of humility. He will fulfill all the desires of our hearts.

-- 

Msgr. Pierre André PIERRE

High-Profile gang leader faces trial in US for arms trafficking linked to Haiti violence

Dominicantoday.com - Haiti.- Germine Joly, known as “Yonyon,” a notorious Haitian gang leader, is facing trial in Washington, DC, on charges related to arms trafficking and laundering kidnapping ransoms. Extradited to the United States in May 2022, Joly is accused of smuggling firearms into Haiti, violating U.S. export laws, and using ransom proceeds to fund gang violence. This includes AK47 and M1A rifles, and ammunition capable of piercing police vehicles, sourced from gun dealers in Florida.

The trial of Joly, who once directed his gang’s operations from behind bars in Haiti, is expected to shed light on the operation of Haiti’s armed groups and the link between U.S. arms trafficking and gang violence in Haiti. Approximately 200 gangs control about 80% of Haiti’s capital, with their influence now spreading to rural areas.

Joly’s case, involving the importation of weapons purchased with kidnapping ransoms, highlights the transnational implications of local gang violence. The trial is seen as the United States’ response to gang-related violence in Haiti, especially following the high-profile kidnapping of 16 Americans and one Canadian by Joly’s gang, 400 Mawozo, in 2021.

Several other leaders of Haiti-based gangs are wanted in the U.S. for kidnappings since 2021. Joly is charged alongside three Florida residents involved in the purchase and smuggling of firearms for 400 Mawozo. Among them, Eliande Tunis is expected to plead guilty to related charges, while the status of the others remains uncertain.

The trial will also explore the connection between Joly, his gang, and the kidnappings they conducted, including that of the U.S.-based missionaries. The judge has ruled that the evidence of these connections is intrinsic to the case, as the government needs to prove that the firearms were bought with kidnapping ransoms.

This high-profile case underscores the complex interplay between local gang activities in Haiti and international crime, particularly the role of arms trafficking from the United States in exacerbating violence and insecurity in Haiti.

Haitian gang leader charged in kidnapping of American missionaries

By 

Louis Casiano, Fox News

The Justice Department has charged the leader of a violent Haitian gang in connection with the kidnappings of 16 American Christian missionaries last year, officials said Tuesday. 

Joly Germine, 29, who is also known as “Yonyon,” leads the 400 Mawozo gang and is the first person charged by federal prosecutors with having any involvement in the kidnapping. He was extradited to the United States last week and faces separate firearms tracking charges. 

“This case shows that the Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to track down anyone who kidnaps a U.S. citizen abroad,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “We will utilize the full reach of our law enforcement authorities to hold accountable anyone responsible for undermining the safety of Americans anywhere in the world.”

A total of 17 people – 12 adults and five minors –were kidnaped on Oct. 16, 2021 after visiting an orphanage in Ganthier, just outside the capital of Port-au-Prince. Aside from one Canadian citizen, the group comprised Americans. 

Although he was imprisoned during the kidnappings, Germine directed the gang’s operations, which included ransom negotiations, according to an indictment. One of his goals was to get the Haitian government to release him from prison. 

While in prison, Germine was in regular contact with the captors, the Justice Department said. 

Twelve of the captive missionaries escaped during a daring overnight caper, eluding their kidnappers and walking for miles over difficult, moonlit terrain with an infant and other children in tow. The group navigated by stars to reach safety after a two-month kidnapping ordeal, according to officials with the Christian Aid Ministries, the Ohio-based agency that the missionaries work for.

Their captors initially demanded $1 million for each hostage, prosecutors said. It was not clear if any ransom was paid.

The 12 hostages who escaped were flown to Florida on a U.S. Coast Guard flight, and later reunited with the five hostages who had been released earlier.

He is expected to appear in federal court Wednesday.

Haiti gang leader boasted he was ‘king of kings,’ just needed bullets to wipe out country

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Updated January 18, 2024

WASHINGTON

Five days before a South Florida woman was arrested in Miami for shipping high-caliber weapons to one of Haiti’s largest and most violent gangs, she got an ominous warning: “They will catch you.”

The October 2021 warning came from inside Haiti’s National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, where Germine Joly, a notorious gang leader more commonly known by the nickname “Yonyon” was an inmate. Joly had just received a text with photos of weapons buried underneath clothes inside a blue barrel from Eliande Tunis, a Pompano Beach resident who had been managing the gang’s arms and ammunition purchases from gun dealers in Florida. 

The text was among 3,415 messages Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Seifert highlighted Thursday in opening statements at the start of Joly’s trial in federal court in Washington, D.C. Joly and Tunis, according to the prosecutor, also held 32 hours of phone conversations between them while Joly was incarcerated. Their conversations also occurred while 17 missionaries from an Ohio-based charity, Christian Aid Ministries, were being held captive by Joly’s 400 Mawozo gang on the eastern outskirts of the capital.

Although Joly is not on trial for the kidnapping of the missionaries in Haiti in October 2021, his role coordinating the brazen abduction is featured prominently in his weapons-smuggling conspiracy trial. As the first gang leader connected to the kidnapping to be extradited to the U.S., Joly is charged with 48 counts relating to violating U.S. export laws, weapons purchases and international money laundering. The most serious of the charges, violating U.S. export laws, carries up to 20 years in prison.

On Wednesday, co-defendant Tunis pleaded guilty to the entire 48-count indictment rather than go to trial. Though her attorney sked for a sentence between 51 and 63 months, the government is pushing for life imprisonment with a fine between $50,000 and $500,000. Two other defendants, Jocelyn Dor and Walder St. Louis, will also avoid trials. Dor pleaded guilty to six charges, including violating weapons export laws, as part of a plea agreement, and St. Louis will testify on behalf of the government against Joly. It remains unclear what charges he is pleading guilty to.

In laying out their weapons-smuggling case against Joly, who has waived his right for a jury and will be tried by the judge, Seifert described 400 Mawozo’s criminal business as a cycle of taking hostages for ransom, transferring the money to the U.S. to buy guns and having them smuggled into Haiti. Those guns, often powerful enough to pierce walls and police vehicles, were then used to grab more hostages and take control of more territory inside the impoverished country. 

As part of the government’s case, prosecutors showed a video of Joly’s birthday celebration inside the Haiti prison. He was wearing designer Fendi clothes, and during the clip, he said, his designer outfit was “worth thousands of dollars and bought in the U.S.”

The image, which went viral in Haiti at the time and during the missionaries’ 10th day in captivity, is far different from the portrait Joly’s defense presented during its presentation before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates.

Just a farmer

Attorney Elita Amato said Joly, 30, was just a farmer from Haiti’s rural countryside and not the dangerous gangster who directed arms purchases from behind prison walls. He was raised by “a nurturing family” of aunts and uncles in Haiti, she said, and given land to grow corn, peas and beans when he was old enough. 

He was also a commodities trader, Amato asserted, describing him as someone who gave back to his country by providing land for farmers to work. He owned tracts of land across Haiti and had relatives in the 400 Mawozo gang.

Amato said Joly had “limited access” to the outside from prison and did not direct gun purchases. As she spoke, Joly, wearing a black suit and tie, listened in with the help of interpreters. 

But Seifert said Joly was very much in control of 400 Mawozo’s criminal operations despite his imprisonment. He had access to multiple unmonitored cell phones while in the National Penitentiary, which he used to direct operations outside, including how much ransom to demand from families of kidnapped victims, where to transfer the money and what guns and ammunition to purchase from Florida gun dealers, she said. 

He was able to do so, the prosecutor said, because he had help from the likes of Tunis, a member of the gang living in South Florida who managed the arms purchases using two straw buyers, Jocelyn Dor and Walder St. Louis, who falsified purchase documents and shipped the weapons to Haiti. The guns were sometimes dismantled and hidden underneath clothing, shoes and Gatorade. Once, a shipment was marked “seafood.”

Those guns, the prosecution asserts, were purchased under orders from Joly with part of ransom money from kidnapped Americans. During one five-month period in which 400 Mawozo abducted several U.S. citizens at gunpoint as they traveled in its Croix-des-Bouquets territory, there were at least 21 wire transfers meant for gun purchases, prosecutors said. The money was sent from Haiti to the U.S., between May and October 2021, and totaled $37,500. 

The money was sometimes broken up into smaller amounts to avoid suspicion, and Joly, prosecutors said, kept track of all the transactions. Some of the money was transferred within hours of Joly issuing directions about the weapons.

The money went to Tunis as well as Dor and St. Louis in the U.S., the prosecution said.

Among the guns Joly told Tunis to buy was a Barrett M82A1, .50-cal. sniper rifle, powerful enough to pierce walls. Joly, in one of his exchanges with Tunis, said he could use the high-powered rifle “to do bad things.”

“These are big guns. You only need bullets to wipe out the whole country,” he said.

In their correspondence, Joly and Tunis didn’t just decide on weapons purchases and wire transfers, the prosecution said, Joly also boasted about kidnappings carried out by his gang.

In one instance, he told her, “We held him hostage right away.... We already cashed in.”

‘I’m the king of kings’

Among the government’s witnesses, some of whom will have their identities shielded, are experts on weapons and the U.S. gun control export laws. The government will also put on the witness stand a Floridian who was the shipper of the guns into Haiti. Prosecutors said he will testify that he picked up barrels from Tunis’ house and put them on boats bound for Haiti. When he called her to complain about the weight of one of the barrels, Tunis said, “It’s rice.”

Sources in Haiti have long contended that Joly has relatives inside the gang who kept his No. 2, Lanmò Sanjou, also known as Joseph Wilson, in check as he received ransom payments and extortion payoffs. 

While the gang was temporarily weakened after Joly’s May 2022 extradition to the United States, it has regained strength, raiding businesses in the Croix-des-Bouquets area and clashing with rival gangs. The violence led to the deaths of two children on Christmas Day when they were killed along with two adults when the gang carried out a deadly attack.

The day the missionaries were stopped at gunpoint as they returned from visiting a nearby orphanage in Ganthier, Joly was in prison. Still, he and Lanmò Sanjou spoke on the phone 10 times that day, Seifert said during her opening statement. 

Lanmò Sanjou, whose name translates in English to “Death doesn’t know when it’s coming,” conducted the ransom negotiations. During at least one instance of a kidnapping, he told the victim, “Look me in the eyes. I am the one holding you,” Seifert said.

Seifert played a clip showing Lanmò Sanjou saying, “If I don’t get what I need, you see these Americans? I’d rather kill them. As I was coming here, I left a big weapon pointed at each of their heads.”

Lanmò Sanjou eventually demanded $1 million each for the hostages, which included five children. He didn’t get the full $17 million, but a ransom was paid, sources told the Miami Herald. The missionaries were freed after spending 61 days in captivity and their release was made to look like an escape.

Lanmò Sanjou is among seven leaders of five Haiti-based gangs who is wanted by the FBI’s Miami field office for the kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Haiti since 2021. Seifert said he ran the hostage-taking for 400 Mawozo and also directed what guns to buy. “Whenever we have to buy guns, Lanmò would come up with the money,” Joly said in a communication.

But in another call and text message, Seifert said, Joly also made his role clear: He boasted “I’m king now. I’m the king of kings.”

# This story was originally published January 18, 2024, 4:55 PM.

Shirsho Dasgupta is an investigative reporter at the Miami Herald DC Bureau. His stories, ranging from financial crime to Florida’s prison system, have received multiple awards and citations from Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Overseas Press Club, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, the Society of Professional Journalists (Florida and DC chapters) and others. He holds Master’s degrees in English and Journalism.

# Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.