Violence, aftermath of the earthquake and assassination, poverty, shortages of fuel and food, exodus of its people and COVID-19 make the nation difficult.
2021 plunged Haiti into more than one tragedy, complicating its critical situation. Its president was assassinated, it is one of the countries that has least vaccinated against COVID-19, there is a fuel shortage and natural disasters and accidents were not lacking.
The latest event that shocked Haiti was the explosion of a fuel truck, which caused at least 61 deaths and dozens of injuries in the city of Cap-Haitien (north), an accident that is still a consequence of the crisis it is suffering. the country and is already classified as “endemic”.
When the truck crashed, people nearby threw themselves into looting, hitting the tank of the truck with hammers and there was an explosion that blew up the victims and nearby homes.
A tragedy resulting from the desperation caused by the fuel shortage that has kept the country in mid-gear for months, bringing fuel to the black market and imposing unaffordable prices for the majority of the population.
The fuel crisis was generated by the violence of the armed gangs, which for months have spread terror in the country with their disputes over the territory and with a series of indiscriminate kidnappings.
Assassination made the situation worse
The action of the gangs has been increasing taking advantage of the political instability that the country has experienced this year, which has been deteriorating since last February President Jovenel Moise denounced that a coup d’état was being plotted.
The crisis worsened to the extreme after the assassination, perpetrated at dawn on July 7 by armed men who entered the president’s residence without resistance from those responsible for your safety.
Since the assassination, the Haitian government has unsuccessfully requested international support to confront the armed gangs, a request for help that has so far been ignored.
Following Moise’s assassination, Ariel Henry assumed power as Prime Minister, who has included members of the opposition in his cabinet, but has failed to put plans to adopt a new constitution in motion in the first five months of his tenure.
Nor has it managed to advance in creating the necessary conditions to hold elections, currently scheduled for the end of 2022.
The main efforts that have been made by the Government in these months have been to try to control the multiple crises, especially the earthquake of August 14 that devastated a large part of southern Haiti, causing the death of 2,248 people.
Also control gang violence, the reception of thousands of migrants deported from the United States and the COVID-19 pandemic, of which it reports 25,974 cases and a little more than 760 deaths, and for which It has only managed to apply about 200,000 doses of vaccines, which is equivalent to 0.6% of its population.
The earthquake represented a loss of 15% of Haiti’s GDP, whose economy contracted 3.3% in 2020 and could decrease an additional 1.3% at the end of this year, collects EFE.
María Belén Loor, master’s degree in political analysis, says it is interesting to see the contrast in growth that Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has shown and that the political instability that the impoverished country is experiencing makes any interference complex.
“Haiti has had 20 governments in 35 years (…), it is a democracy that is very complicated, it is the poorest country in the region. It is very complex to intercede with international aid ”, he mentions.
Food shortages and security crisis
Sineus Etzer, 38-year-old Haitian doctor who has lived in Ecuador for five years, He comments that in Haiti there is a lot of economic difficulty and that this was the main cause that prompted him to emigrate together with his wife.
“My country has a crisis that I can say is the worst of all time, especially due to violence, but it should be noted that violence or what is seen to happen in Haiti is focused on the capital, Port-au-Prince ( …). Outside of the capital it is not the same reality ”, he comments and recalls that the assassination and then the earthquake were something that emotionally affected Haitians.
Etzer states that the magnitude of violence in the country, hand in hand with the presence of armed gangs, It is something that has not been seen for more than a decade and he says it would be linked to the hardening that the fight against drug trafficking has had towards the United States.., which has complicated several gangs that have chosen to take control of the capital.
“This violence means that in Port-au-Prince there are about a thousand kidnappings per year, according to the latest records,” he mentions.
The Haitian also says that the food situation is complex as access to food is increasingly difficult due to the reduction in agricultural production and the increase in imports from countries like the US that involve high costs.
He refers that the nation lacks investment and loan programs for this key sector and that those that exist are full of bureaucratic procedures that not everyone can access.
“The reality is that in the country the Haitian bourgeoisie monopolizes everything … Haitians’ day-to-day life is very difficult, because they make everything difficult, ”he says.
Crisis exit depends on the same country
Etzer says that in 2022 Haitians hope that clean elections will be called in which the people can express their will.
However, he mentions that there is a lot of disappointment because the current government has shown disinterest in the new elections and considers that there may be a delay of up to two years for this cry of the people to materialize.
“The people in general have lost confidence in security, in economic stability and in hope, that is why migration to other countries has increased to escape that harsh reality.”
However, the Haitian emphasizes that it is the Haitians themselves who have the duty to organize and seek solutions to the multiple crises.
“We must organize ourselves first, unite first, to solve our problems first and so that others can help us,” he underlines and recognizes that the situation has never been like this and that it has caused countries like the United States to interfere and many times Take the opportunity to leave their influence, which has also ended up weakening confidence in the North American country.
Loor agrees and says that it is necessary that the solutions for the exit from the crisis that affects the country must begin internally and he adds that in the case of the Dominican Republic, the interference of the United States has been key so that its reality is different from that of Haiti.
“Internally, they must put their house in order, at a political, financial and security level, make convergences, etc., it will improve the financial issue and thus calm the mood of violence that is inside and that way they can continue to receive international aid. ”, He says.
For the analyst, Haiti never recovered from natural disasters and says that it should be clear that in Latin America there are no supranational organizations or platforms that can provide direct support or humanitarian aid solutions beyond specific occasions, such as those natural disasters, so it is key that solutions are sought within. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
