Caribbean Community governments recently rang alarm bells to tell the world that they have intelligence that a coalition of heavily armed and resourced gangs is plotting to overthrow the interim administration in Haiti.
The same governments, which had late last year worked with a plethora of Haitian stakeholder groups to help establish an interim government to prepare for general elections next year, now fear that the gangs have made such inroads into daily life that the administration might be violently overthrown, as has been the case with numerous past governments on the Caribbean island nation of about 11 million.
Life in Haiti’s capital and in nearby areas has been beset by attacks by a growing number of gangs determined to upset the status quo. The situation has been deteriorating in the aftermath of the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The CARICOM member nation has not held elections since 2016 as it operates with basically no elected lawmaker, mayor, or other officials. The bloc, in its statement late Sunday, did not say whether it thinks that its schedule for early 2026 elections is in jeopardy or whether such plans will proceed regardless of the security situation.
“The heads of government of the Caribbean Community [CARICOM] are deeply concerned by recent reports that a coalition of criminal gangs is threatening to seize power and compel a change in the governance arrangements in Haiti at this time. This is completely unacceptable. CARICOM strongly condemns any attempt to replace the transitional arrangements by force and violence. These arrangements were put in place by Haitian stakeholders to pave the way for free and fair elections by February 7th, 2026 to return Haiti to constitutional authority,” the 15-nation bloc stated.
Clearly tired of political tinkering and interference by Western governments over the decades, Haitian stakeholders had insisted that its fellow Caribbean neighbors work with them to return the country to constitutional governance. Numerous meetings were held in Jamaica and in Haiti to set up the same interim government that the regional bloc now says could be in danger of collapse. “In view of the looming threat. CARICOM has been in consultation with Haiti and its international partners to urgently provide further security assistance to Haiti. CARICOM salutes the efforts of the Haitian security forces and the multinational security system, spearheaded by the Kenyans, to enforce order and to protect the citizens of Haiti.”
The alert from the bloc came hours after authorities restated the intention of security forces to beat back and eliminate criminal gangs as they noted that the country “is in the grip of unprecedented massacres and acts of violence. The criminal nature of the actions of armed gangs, which are supported by a transnational criminal network and a mafia sector in Haiti, today threatens the very foundations of the nation. The restoration of security throughout the national territory remains and will continue to be the strategic priority of the transition, launched in 2024. This priority is also the major and legitimate demand of the Haitian people, who are demanding the safe and complete resumption of social, economic, political and cultural life,” the interim council said in a statement.
On the same day, Sunday, the US embassy issued its latest travel advisory to Americans noting the level of “increased violence and insecurity, as well as threats and attacks against law enforcement and prisons. Depart Haiti as soon as possible when commercial options are available if you feel safe to do so.”