Haiti Opposition Group Calls on Biden administration to end support for Haitian govt

A powerful Haitian opposition group wants the United States to stop supporting the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Monday, 7th February 2022

Haiti Opposition Group Calls on Biden administration to end support for Haitian govt

A powerful Haitian opposition group wants the United States to stop supporting the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. The group says the government's legitimacy has been tarnished by long-delayed elections and the possible connection between PM Henry and the assassination of the country's president. The opposition demanded the USA to take some lethal action by Monday because as per experts the government will become unconstitutional by then. The showdown has made the Biden administration more and more uncomfortable. For now, the United States wants to keep the status quo: a ruling party that has been in power for about 10 years and has seen the power of gangs rise across the country. As the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs said in January, "When we look at the history of Haiti, we see a lot of the international community getting into Haitian politics and picking winners and losers. This is a common thing." "We don't want the US government to do that." As doubts grow that the Henry administration will be able to hold elections this year, anti-government protests have spread across Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. Local gangs have used the uncertainty to expand their territory. Gangs stormed the road to the airport on Friday, shutting down businesses and putting Haiti's police force on high alert for more violence on Monday. This added to the chaos. The Montana Accord wants to set up a transitional government, with its leader, Fritz Alphonse Jean, in charge. This government will help restore security before elections can be held. People in this group say that by continuing to support this government, the United States is choosing one way or the other. There are a lot of threats and people are afraid of being kidnapped and raped every day in Haiti, Jean said in an interview on Friday. "This is in chaos, and the Henry government can't do anything about it."