Haiti’s Humanitarian Collapse

Haiti’s Humanitarian Collapse

Haiti’s has turned in past few months into an example of failed state that is just on the brink of total wrecking. Violence committed by gangs, instability, economic freeze, and almost complete disintegration of the state institutions have caused the Caribbean country to experience one of the worst humanitarian crises in the recent history. Although poverty and issues of governance in Haiti are not new, the extent and the levels to which Haiti has perished are alarming. It is unacceptable that the rest of the world forgets about a country with a population of more than 11 million people, which is fighting rising levels of suffering, growing numbers of deaths, and an erosion of every-day life.

Anatomy of the Collapse

The roots of the Haiti crisis go back to a power gap created following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 (BBC). Since them there have been successive unelected and weak transitional governments that have not managed to order or legitimize the transitional period. With the lack of functional state, criminal gangs have taken over large parts of the capital, Port-au-Prince and outskirts. These gangs and not only own territory, but affect the population by extortion, kidnapping and terror.

Most notable of them is the G9 alliance, headed by former police officer Jimmy “Barbecue” Chchezier. Rival gangs such as G9 have turned insecurity into an armoury which they use to attack jointly police stations, ports and fuel deposits. It has turned roads and trade routes in battle grounds such that one cannot transport food and medical supplies; neither can they transport humans without getting into danger.

Hunger, Displacement, and Fear

This violence is appalling to the human cost. UN says more than 600,000 people have been displaced throughout the country, with thousands living in makeshift shelters or learning institutions and churches (UN OCHA). The food insecurity has become devastating and then a situation where almost half of the population is hunger stricken is terrible. Gangs are holed up in their areas with deprivation to humanitarian services because the access areas are blocked or relief supplies are stolen.

Healthcare systems have not beaten the odds either. This has compelled clinics to go out of business and patients especially pregnant women and others who need life-saving surgeries are unable to travel to the hospitals in fear of losing their lives. Poor sanitation and shortage of clean water has occasioned an opportune escalation of cholera (PAHO). What is most tragic is the plight of children: most of them cannot go to school, some of them lost their parents and others are under gangs as guards or soldiers.

Too Little, Too Late?

The global reaction has not been quite satisfactory and has been uncoordinated. United Nations has requested assistance severally yet little of its requests have been fulfilled. Certain states such as Canada and U.S. have contributed money, sanctioned gang leaders, and backed the security force proposal of a multinational force (Reuters). Nevertheless, reality on the ground has far behind the rhetoric.

On many occasions, Haiti has asked foreign powers to intervene, but many states are afraid to participate fearing a costly commitment with no positive results as has been the case with all the previous interventions. Opponents say that the use of foreign soldiers would await the fire of nationalism and the repetition of all the errors of the past missions of the UN that also left their historical form of abuses.

However, taking no action is by no means being neutral it is complicity through omission. As it stands, the current status quo will result in the further death of people, further displacement of citizens, and further decent towards chaos.

Sovereignty vs. Survival

Interestingly, among the most controversial issues in the crisis in Haiti is the necessity to obey the principle of national sovereignty or rather preserve lives. It is no wonder why many Haitians are rather doubting of foreign powers, as the tradition of exploitation and occupation was always active, and the oft neglected aid projects are a relatively recent phenomenon. However, in the present context sovereignty has turned into a vacuous phenomenon. A government that is unable to offer standard security or service to its citizen is in effect not even working.

It is in the interest of the international community to collaborate with the civil society, diaspora leaders and reputable institutions in Haiti to co-design the intervention in ways that focus on national ownership and long run gains. It should not be about installing governance, but rather to stabilize the situation enough to allow democratic procedures to take place as well as a rebuilding of the institutions.

Addressing Root Causes

With the world in panic mode trying to give emergency aid, the world should have a parallel strategy that involves mitigation of the problems that caused Haiti to become vulnerable. Political corruption, poor institutions, environmental degradation, and economic manipulation by foreign countries have spent decades crumbling the ability of the country to react to crises. Foreign lenders and donors must avoid imposing one-shoe-fits-all aids and promote grass-root development initiatives that are county specific.

A big step would be to forgive or restructure the debt that Haiti owes to the rest of the world that is draining her resources to pay her foreign debt (IMF). The other is the investment in education, infrastructure and jobs creation to make the gang recruitment gangs less appealing and create community resilience.

The Regional and Global Risk

The fall of Haiti is not just a humanitarian disaster but as well as a regional security problem. With the spiral of violence, other neighbouring countries such as Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and the United States are experiencing rising migration pressure. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are taking risky sea trips in overpopulated boats, most of which end in death or arrest.

Risk of the crisis creating instability by trafficking of arms, smuggling of drugs, movement of refugees, etc are also possible. Failing to deal with Haiti, the disintegration of the country may trigger geopolitical fallouts in the Caribbean basin and other regions. That ought to encourage regional organizations such as CARICOM and Organization of American States to become more proactive in the areas of coordination and conflict resolution.