Kingstown (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) (AFP) – Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro said on Friday that they were planning a “covert invasion” in Haiti at a time when the United Nations is deploying a multinational force to contain it promote violence that prevails in the poorest country in the region.
First change: March 2, 2024 – 1:22 a.m. Last change: March 2, 2024 – 1:20 a.m
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“We do not agree with any kind of hidden invasion that brings troops from here, brings troops from there (…) A new invasion is not the solution, call it what you call it, disguise it, whatever “It is not the solution for Haiti,” said the Venezuelan president at the end of the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).
“Venezuela welcomes the proposal by Celac President of Honduras Xiomara Castro to pursue an autonomous, sovereign aid model that will truly enable Haiti to regain its security and its ability to govern,” Maduro said at the meeting in San Vincent and the Grenadines.
Amid a wave of violence that has deepened the crisis in the country of 11.4 million, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, in office following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, most recently traveled to Kenya to attend a UN-sponsored Security Council approved multinational mission to lead October.
The mission of this mission is to help the Haitian police regain control of the country.
Armed gangs have seized control of the area in recent years, unleashing brutal violence that has further crippled Haiti's economy and public health system.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said this Friday during the Celac, where one of the topics discussed was the crisis in Haiti, that “the already serious situation is getting worse every day.”
“Gangs are holding the country hostage and using sexual violence as a weapon. At the same time, the UN humanitarian aid plan for Haiti needs solid financial support,” said Guterres, who advocates for a “political solution.”
With the support of the United Nations, Benin, which already contributed police personnel to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah) between 2004 and 2017, will send a mission with around 2,000 soldiers.
© 2024 AFP