The United States must stop supporting Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry “so that a Haitian solution to the crisis can emerge,” a group of nearly 140 advocacy and faith organizations in the U.S. and Haiti said in a letter to the U.S. Department of State. The missive sent to the Biden Administration, and ensuing calls over the weekend, came as Haiti has plunged into looting and rioting after Henry said he’d raise fuel prices.
“We have watched in horror as the situation in Haiti has deteriorated to a ‘new normal’ characterized by constant fear of kidnapping and violence, a near total lack of accountability, and a growing humanitarian crisis on every front,” the letter states.
“Haitians have been asking the Biden Administration to stop supporting de facto PM Henry’s rule and PHTK more generally,” the letter states. “Haitians note that the US government insists that de facto PM Henry’s government must be part of any solution. That gives the regime a veto in any negotiations and creates a disincentive for it to negotiate in good faith. De facto PM Henry can simply refuse to meaningfully compromise, as he has done repeatedly, knowing that the US will continue to support him regardless.”
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