Positive Steps for Haiti

Positive Steps for Haiti

Positive steps toward quelling the violence and chaos in Haiti were taken in late April when the Transitional Presidential Council was sworn into power at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince.

“The installation of the Transitional Presidential Council is a very important step for Haiti’s path toward democratic governance, new elections and improved security,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols:

“This group embodies a broad consensus of Haitian society in favor of a new path forward. It’s the outcome of months of negotiations among a very broad group of stakeholders, and I think it is a very, very positive moment.”

The Council was tasked with appointing a new prime minister, cabinet, and an electoral council that will prepare the country for general elections in February 2026.

The move paves the way for the deployment to Haiti of a Kenyan-led multinational United Nations security support force to help Haiti’s national police deal with horrific gang violence.

Assistant Secretary Nichols pointed out that the strength of Haitian gangs has been building for years:

“Haitian society has not been able to deliver the kind of opportunities for young people, jobs, education that it needs. At the same time, the state in Haiti has been fragile for many years. With the departure of the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSTAH, the security profile in Haiti began to weaken, and gang violence, which has been a problem in significant measure since the 1990’s, really started to grow. And then, with the tragic assassination of President [Jovenel] Moïse in July 2021, we saw the weakness of the state really in stark relief.”

Assistant Secretary Nichols said, “We hope that improved security, with the presence of the multinational security support mission and strengthening the Haitian national police, coupled with intensive action in terms of economic development, gang diversion programs, refocusing on education and services in the most vulnerable areas will help both address the immediate problem of crime, while preventing more youth from entering into gang activity.”

The United States is the largest provider of assistance to Haiti, noted Assistant Secretary Nichols. “But other countries and international organizations also need to step forward and provide assistance,” he said. “This is a global responsibility, not just the United States’ responsibility.”