Will Haiti's 'fractious divided political spectrum' unite before 'gangs extend power even further'?
Issued on: Modified:
As Haiti's lawlessness and violent upheaval by ruthless gangs threaten to establish a de facto criminal state, FRANCE 24's François Picard, Fraser Jackson and Delano D'Souza are joined by Ivan Briscoe, International Crisis Group's Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean and Widlore Mérancourt, Haitian reporter and Editor-in-Chief of AyiboPost, a renowned online news organization. While a new political transition deal in Haiti marks a key step forward for the violence-ravaged country, far more needs to be done, with some experts warning the situation could deteriorate further. Armed gangs have seized control of much of Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest country, with bandits ransacking infrastructure and fears rising of famine. Caribbean leaders and international players, notably US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, thrashed out a deal at talks in Jamaica on Monday in which Prime Minister Ariel Henry will cede power to a new transitional council, which will name an interim leader before holding elections. Haiti has not held elections since 2016 and Henry has been in power, officially as a transitional figure, since the 2021 assassination of president Jovenel Moise. The seven voting members of the transitional council will come from parties across Haiti including movements linked to Henry, Moise and former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the left-leaning former priest who was Haiti's first democratically elected president.