DUpon his arrival in Georgetown, the still head of government and head of the political transition in Haiti, Ariel Henry, had multiplied meetings with various partners of Haiti in the context of the deployment of troops that Kenya was to take command of. On Sunday, February 25, 2024, he had a meeting with the US ambassador to the United Nations, Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, at the head of the American delegation to this 46e Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Caribbean States.
From the outset, she announced that several countries in the region were ready to send soldiers or police officers to the Multinational Mission for Security Support in Haiti (MMAS).
She also mentioned the case of Benin with its 2000 available men, of Jamaica which will serve as a training base for foreign soldiers before their departure for Port-au-Prince. She confirmed that Chile, Argentina and other South American states would be part of it. Nothing but good news for an overjoyed Ariel Henry without the slightest doubt of what is being plotted behind his back in Haiti by the armed groups that were going to surprise more than one. At the opening of the 46e Ordinary session of the Caribbean Community, its new President who is also Head of State of the Republic of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, had emphasized the Haitian drama while saying that force had to be used to counter Haiti’s security problems.
“Sometimes as a region, when we find ourselves in difficult positions, we have to take tough measures. But toughness in the region is always in the interest of the people of the region; it is fundamental to the region. We are determined as a region to ensure that the Haitian people can also achieve their full potential in peace, security and good governance. We owe it to the Haitian people. ” was to put forward the President of CARICOM at the opening of the Summit on February 25, 2024.
Before him, his predecessor at the head of this regional body, the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, had to declare that the Community of Caribbean States owes its support to the Haitian people and this without wasting any time. “Haiti needs the support of everyone in this world; every country in the world, and I don’t think we have the time or the luxury to keep talking about helping Haiti, we need to help Haiti now.”
Still serene, on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Transition, Jean Victor Généus, proudly announced to the daily The New List that Prime Minister Ariel Henry is expected to attend another Summit in Kenya on the Environment on the sidelines of meetings with the country’s President. “The PM is travelling to Kenya to attend an environment summit. A meeting is planned with President Ruto. The signing of a reciprocal security agreement will take place as soon as the two sides have agreed on the final document.” informed Geneus.
On Wednesday, February 28, at the end of this meeting of the 46e ordinary session of CARICOM Heads of State and Government, leaders, including Phillip Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, gave a lengthy press conference in which Haiti was the focus of journalists, including, it seems, CARICOM. Much of the Sessions was devoted to the Haitian crisis and the search for a solution. I think it is important to note that in our deliberations, particularly with Prime Minister Ariel Henry, a number of major steps and concessions were made to advance the political process, including, in what we consider a significant step forward, the holding of general elections to restore constitutional government and authority no later than August 31, 2025.
We believe this is an important step in the right direction. And to that end, we have agreed to establish an Electoral Needs Assessment Team. This will be led by CARICOM, the United Nations and other partners including Canada. A report is expected on March 31, 2024 to identify these gaps, so that we can decide how to move forward. CARICOM leaders, including Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, international partners such as Canada, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations took part in these discussions. We had a frank and in-depth discussion on the situation in Haiti. We are deeply concerned by the continuing deterioration of the security, humanitarian and political situation in Haiti. Most importantly, we are concerned by the continued delay in overcoming the political impasse, which has blocked the possibility of free and fair elections. The Caribbean Community also plans to invite key Haitians to participate in a meeting. CARICOM calls on all leaders in Haiti, including the current government, to be able to sit down to make the necessary concessions to reach a resolution to the political impasse.
The Caribbean Community has been trying to bring normalcy back to Haiti since before the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021 » declared the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Phillip Davis, on February 28, 2024, following the 46the regular meeting of CARICOM in Georgetown, Guyana. We are on the eve of the Haitian capital being set ablaze by gangs of the ” Live together “, the coalition formed by the main armed groups that are sowing desolation and fear in the Port-au-Prince region. As planned in the first press release from the Office of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, on Thursday, February 29, 2024, from Georgetown, he flew to Nairobi, Kenya. Except that on that same Thursday, Jimmy Chérizier’s gang, aka ” Barbecue» had virtually taken power in Port-au-Prince by seizing more than ten police stations and other state institutions while establishing a state of insurrection in the country.
On February 29, at the very moment that Prime Minister Ariel Henry was crossing the Atlantic, his country, Haiti, and its capital, Port-au-Prince were ablaze. In an immeasurable shambles, the population, left to fend for itself and in a panic, was running in search of a safe place to take shelter. While the interim government was nowhere to be seen. It was upon arriving in Nairobi that Prime Minister Ariel Henry, called «Roi Henry» by popular malice, learned the terrible news. His people rebelled against him and routed him and especially forbade him from returning to the country. In Port-au-Prince, a few hours before the armed insurrection of the gangs against the power of the Transition, the Government Communication Service had had time to communicate on the departure of the Prime Minister for Kenya. In a victorious tone, the communication office announced this: At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Kenya, Mr. William Ruto, the Prime Minister of Haiti, Ariel Henry, began an official visit to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
This visit aims to consolidate ties between the two nations, particularly in the area of security.” That was to inform about the departure. Upon his arrival on Kenyan soil, the office of the Prime Minister was quick to communicate the news again through a second press release removing any ambiguity about the triumphalist nature of this trip to African soil without realizing that it would be a one-way trip, in any case, to Haiti, for the one who was about to make his last official trip on behalf of the Republic of Haiti. We learned, in fact, through this famous press release that “At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Kenya, Mr. William Ruto, the Prime Minister, Dr. Ariel Henry, arrived today in Nairobi, as part of his working visit with Kenyan authorities to, among other things, finalize the modalities of the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSAS).
Upon his arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the Head of Government was received with military honours. He then had a tête-à-tête with President William Ruto. He will have to meet other Kenyan personalities. Prime Minister Ariel Henry then went to the United Nations Convention Centre to participate in the plenary of the 6th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). The Head of Government will speak this Friday at a high-level panel as part of these United Nations meetings on the Environment.the Prime Minister’s Office had indicated in the press release on the same Thursday, February 29, 2024. For his part, his host, Kenyan President William Ruto, from his Palace of State House from Nairobi, spoke of “the experience and expertise of its police officers” in terms of security which he is proud to make available to this mission of the international community in favor of the Haitian people, “common heritage” according to him from the African continent.
“Kenya partners with the Haitian people because of our common heritage. We offer the experience and expertise of our police officers as part of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti, in line with the mandate of the United Nations Security Council and the directives of our courts,” wrote William Ruto on his account on Thursday, February 29, 2024, while part of this “common heritage” went up in smoke under the repeated assaults of a horde of lawless bandits. Indeed, while the officials of the two countries congratulated each other under the gilded paneling of the Kenyan Presidential Palace, in Haiti, in particular, in Port-au-Prince, the two airports – Toussaint Louverture for international flights and Guy Malary for domestic flights – were the target of attacks by gangs, following which the managers of these infrastructures had to quickly close them to air traffic. Above all, during these attacks, aircraft had been hit, including one from the Cuban company Aviation Cuba. While the main roads connecting the capital, its suburbs and the main cities of the country are closed by armed groups.
The national police, overwhelmed by the events, had either withdrawn to more or less protected police stations or completely abandoned the premises when these police stations were not literally stormed by Jimmy Chérizier’s men, «Barbecue» This former agent of the UDMO (Departmental Unit for Maintaining Order), who became the most well-known and most famous Haitian police officer in Haiti, and even outside. Leader of the movement ” Live together “The federation of gangs operating in the capital and the metropolitan area, “Barbecue” had decided to declare the Prime Minister Ariel Henry person not grata with the ban on returning to Haiti while demanding his resignation. In fact, he and his men had maintained the pressure on Toussaint Louverture Airport so that this important airport infrastructure remains closed until Ariel Henry officially announces his resignation on March 11, 2024 from Puerto Rico where the American government had sent him, once he was prohibited from disembarking in the Dominican Republic.
But, before reaching this final stage, Ariel Henry, still Prime Minister, continued his trip to Kenya. The day after his arrival in Nairobi, that is to say, Friday 1is March 2024, as agreed, it was with great fanfare that the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers was announced during the signing of the reciprocity agreement so demanded by the magistrates of the High Court of Justice before authorizing Kenyans to leave to join their cousins in the Caribbean, others would say in the Haitian cauldron. It was the Minister of the Environment, James P. Cadet, for the Republic of Haiti and the Secretary of the Cabinet (Ministry) of the Interior, Kithure Kindiki, for the Republic of Kenya who, in the presence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry and Head of State William Ruto, had signed the document sealing relations between the two sister Republics. We also note the presence of other Kenyan officials, among others, Zachary Njeru, Secretary of the Cabinet of Water, Monica Juma, National Security Advisor and Japheth Koome, Inspector General of the Kenyan Police.
It was the Kenyan presidency that first announced the news in a press release issued for this purpose. “Today, 1st March 2024, I am pleased to inform you that Prime Minister Ariel Henry and I witnessed the signing of this instrument. We also discussed the next steps to enable the acceleration of the deployment. I take this opportunity to reiterate Kenya’s commitment to contribute to the success of this multinational mission. From Kenya, we stand ready for this deployment, and I call on all other partners around the world to step up their efforts so that we can provide a timely response. We believe this is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for the world as a whole.” declared President William Ruto. After congratulations and wishes for success from his host, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, for his part, declared: I thank President Ruto and the Kenyan people for offering to lead the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti to stabilize the country. This mission brings hope for the future of humanity, for a people who do not see how they will live tomorrow.
For their part, in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian authorities plunged into fear and uncertainty in the face of the turn of events in Haiti where life was almost at a standstill, the Council of Ministers which ensured the continuity of the State under the authority of an interim Prime Minister in the person of Michel Patrick Boisvert, appointed by Ariel Henry before his departure for Guyana, tried to maintain a semblance of life so as not to further panic the population. To suggest that the government is still holding the country’s boat, following the press release from the Kenyan presidency announcing the signing of the famous reciprocity agreement, it was the Ministry of Culture and Communication that wanted to make public the information that, that’s it, Haiti is now linked with its African cousin, Kenya, by an agreement of mutual aid and reciprocity.
Document long awaited by the Transition authorities in order to facilitate the arrival of the multinational force in Haiti. “The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, at 5:15 am, Haiti time, between the two Republics, effectively launches the deployment of international aid. This signature constitutes a decisive step that meets a requirement contained in the decision of the High Court of Kenya. It also removes the last legal obstacle for Kenya to take over the leadership for the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission authorized by Security Council Resolution 2699. This Memorandum of Understanding covers several areas of collaboration, including the fight against organized crime, general criminal investigations, the fight against terrorism and radical extremism, border security management, the protection of strategic infrastructure, disaster management, and the fight against kidnapping.” announced the Haitian government through this press release. But, after the euphoria, we returned to political reality and the diplomatic hazards in the matter.
Less than a week later, Kenya’s Representative to the UN, Martin Kimani, immediately put a damper on things and brought everyone back down to earth, starting with the Haitian government, which thought that a signature or a friendship agreement was enough for everything to be sorted out and for the expedition to begin. Indeed, during a closed-door meeting on the Haitian crisis held by the Security Council on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at the UN, the diplomat raised the question of financing the mission and wondered who would do what. He especially insisted that the offices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, watch and press the States to pay the funds they had proposed, otherwise, Martin Kimani said, there would be no deployment in the immediate future. “A first contingent of elite police composed of 400 Kenyan soldiers is ready to leave for Haiti, however its deployment depends on American logistics and the resources expected by the Kenyan authorities. Mission deployment and success depends on the necessary resources, including funding, equipment and logistics.
The situation in Haiti has deteriorated alarmingly, moving from a state of emergency to the brink of catastrophic collapse (…) Our worst fears are coming true. But that only makes us more determined to help Haiti and its people.” said the Kenyan ambassador to the UN on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. In the meantime, things for Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has not yet officially resigned, are not improving. However, he still believed in it. It is the week of March 8, 2024. He even sent a message to Haitian women on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The leader of the Transition was traveling from country to country, from Kenya he ended up in the United States from where he was supposed to fly to Haiti. But now, all the airports in the country are hermetically sealed. So, he tried his luck by chartering an aircraft in New Jersey and perhaps by chance he imagined landing in the Dominican Republic with the hope of being able to cross the border on foot or by car either by Malpasse or by Ouanaminthe. But, having fallen out of favor with his American guardians, Washington ordered President Luis Abinadair to close his airspace, forcing him to turn around and land in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
From this forced exile, Ariel Henry was almost a prisoner of the Americans who locked him up in a military base far from the capital San Juan. Under pressure, he ended up officially resigning as head of the government and the Transition on Sunday, March 11, 2024, two days after Antony Blinken, the American Secretary of State, had said that he had no other alternative. A resignation that would very quickly have negative consequences on the process of deploying the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti to the extent that the Kenyan government came to set other conditions for its police or military to land in Haiti.
The day after the official announcement of the Prime Minister’s resignation, in fact, on March 12, 2024, the Kenyan authorities had reacted to the matter. This is the American newspaper The New-York Times who reported the remarks of the spokesperson of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Salim Swaleh, following an interview with this daily newspaper ” The deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti to help quell gang-fueled unrest is on hold until a new government is formed in the Caribbean country. You can’t deploy police on the streets of Port-au-Prince without an administration in place. The agreement they signed with the President still stands, although the deployment won’t happen now because we will definitely need a government in place to collaborate as well. ” said the spokesperson for Kenyan diplomacy.
(To be continued)