By Editor-July 6th, 2023.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised Wednesday at a Caribbean summit that the United States was committed to restoring security in Haiti, which has been wracked in overlapping crises of violence and poverty.
“The United States shares the commitment felt throughout the region to help the Haitian people shape their future to restore the country’s democratic order through free and fair elections,” Blinken told leaders of the Caribbean Community, or Caricom, gathered in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Haitians cannot achieve these critical goals without security,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve been and remain the largest international donor to the Haitian National Police, why we support the nation’s government’s call for a multinational force to help us restore security,” he said.
Blinken stopped short of saying who could lead the multinational force, a goal promoted since last year by Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, whom Blinken will meet at the summit.
No country has stepped forward, and President Joe Biden’s administration has made clear that it will not risk Americans’ lives, instead prioritizing bolstering Haiti’s fledgling national police force.
Sources: Barrons, BBC, NPR.
