PORT-AUPRINCE, Haiti aEUR Authorities have failed to find and arrest those responsible for the murder, and Haiti is in free fall as violence rises and the economy plummets.
Many people have fled Haiti over the past year. They traveled on rickety boats with hundreds of Haitians, and have been repeatedly found at the borders of neighboring countries. They chose to take that risk over going hungry and fearing for their lives.
Every day is a battle. It’s a fight for survival. It’s a battle to eat. It’s a fight for survival,” stated Hector Duval, a plumber. He now drives a motorcycle taxi to earn more money because Haitians are scared to board slow-moving buses. They also run the risk of being attacked by warring gangs.
Since MoA-se’s death last July 7, when he was killed at his Port-au-Prince home, killings have increased and thousands of families have been forced from their homes by gangs fighting for territory.
The government is overwhelmed and struggling to control gangs and decrease kidnappings. However, efforts to form a coalition government are failing in recent weeks, and attempts to hold general elections have been stalled. This leaves many questioning where Haiti is heading.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry promised to establish a new provisional election council that would be responsible for organizing general elections. But, that has not happened. Because the government failed to hold elections in 2019, there has not been a Parliament. MoA-se fired most of its lawmakers in early 2020. He ruled by decree for over a year before his death.
Four of the four judges who were appointed to oversee the investigation have resigned, some claiming they feared for the lives of their colleagues.
Ariel Henry, Prime Minister of Israel, acknowledged the uncertainty that looms over the case. He tweeted last month: “I have the uneasy feeling that those who devised and funded this macabre plan continue to run the streets and are still trying to escape our judicial system.”
Over 40 people were arrested in Haiti. This includes high-ranking officers from the police and former soldiers from Colombia. Two of the three suspects in Haiti were arrested and extradited to the United States. They face charges such as conspiring to murder or kidnap outside the United States.
Many relatives of soldiers in Colombia demand a proper judicial system and improvements in the conditions in prison.
Nataly Andrade (wife of retired Col. Giovanny guerrero) told The Associated Press that “a lot of the time there isn’t food, no potable waters.” In May, she visited him in prison and was shocked at the weight loss. At least eight southern Haitian inmates, unrelated to the MoA-se, have succumbed to heat and malnutrition in recent weeks.
Martine, MoA-se’s widow, continues to call for justice. This month, she made a statement stating that she would not attend Thursday’s commemorations by the Haitian government. “The head of Haitian government is under serious suspicions for (involvement) in the assassination.
Henry dismissed those allegations and fired a chief prosecutor who had asked for a judge’s permission to indict the prime minister and ban him from leaving the country. Henry had spoken twice with a key suspect within hours of the murder, according to the prosecutor.
Henry’s office stated that the prime minister cannot identify all those who called him on that day, or determine the nature and content of conversations because he was unable to take all calls. The suspect is still at large.
Henry encourages Haitians to put their efforts into turning the country around.
He stated that Haitians must work together to bring back those parts of society that are too fractured. This is essential if we are to restore security, deal effectively with armed gangs, their sponsors, and create an environment conducive to holding elections with high turnout in order to rebuild democratic institutions.
Henry is being blamed by a growing number Haitians for their growing insecurity.
According to the United Nations, almost seven kidnappings per day are reported. In May alone, more than 200 deaths and 198 abductions were reported. This country has more than 11,000,000 people. Two busloads of children, three U.N. employees, and their dependents were among those kidnapped. One gang also seized control of a portion of Haiti’s Court of First Instance. They looted and burned case files and evidence.
Ralf Jean-Pierre (a Les Cayes businessman who lives in Port-au-Prince) said, “Even though there is a prime minister,” he said, as he looked around the streets while talking. He was afraid he might be kidnapped.
According to him, it has been difficult for his family to live because they can’t transport goods like tomatoes, bananas, and yams that are grown in southern Haiti to the capital. This is due to warring gangs having taken over the main road linking the two regions.
Access is difficult and aid is not reaching the affected areas of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in southern California that occurred almost one year ago. It killed more than 2,200 people, and damaged hundreds of thousands of other homes.
Haiti has seen thousands flee. 842 Haitians found themselves stranded off the Cuban coast in May after their captain abandoned their boat. This was the largest single incident. Many others have also landed in Florida and dozens of people have drowned at sea over the past few months.
Claudia Julmiste is a nursing student. She said that she is trying to make ends work by selling underwear, bras, and wigs she bought in the Dominican Republic. However, she and others have been hard hit by Haiti’s double-digit inflation.
She said, “I’m trying make the most of it here.” “I don’t want to be one those kids who gets on a boat at sea and dies, but Haiti isn’t offering anything.”
