As of the start of this year, Haiti has not a single elected official in its government and no plans to hold elections. Meanwhile, gangs are running amok, police officers are either ineffective or part of the problem and the army is almost non-existent. Haiti now faces a humanitarian catastrophe on top of its government’s crisis of legitimacy.
Widlore Mérancourt, the editor-in-chief of Haiti’s AyiboPost, tells Hannah Moore that the current crisis began with the execution of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Seven people have been charged in the US but many Haitians believe the people ultimately responsible for the murder and their true motives are still to emerge.
The World Food Programme says almost half of Haiti’s population is facing acute hunger. There are fuel shortages and the threat of economic collapse, and tens of thousands of people are infected with cholera. Without a functioning state and an international community with other priorities, Haitians risk being left to their fates.
Photograph: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters Support The Guardian
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