Haiti

UN Deputy urges nations to consider forces for Haiti to restore security

The UN's deputy secretary-general urged every country with capacity to urgently consider the Haitian government's request for an international armed force to help restore security and alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the Caribbean nation, which is in a deepening crisis of unprecedented scale and complexity that is cause for serious alarm. Amina Mohammed also reiterated Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for international support for the beleaguered Haitian National Police. Insecurity has reached unprecedented levels and human rights abuses are widespread, she told the UN Security Council. Armed gangs have expanded their violent criminal activities, using killings and gang rapes to terrorise and subjugate communities. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and the country's Council of Ministers sent an urgent appeal October 7 calling for the immediate deployment of a specialised armed force, in sufficient quantity to stop the crisis caused partly by the criminal actions of armed

Will expand temporary legal status for Haitians residing in country: US

The Biden administration said Monday that it would expand temporary legal status for Haitians already living in the United States, determining conditions in the Caribbean nation were too dangerous for their forced return. The Homeland Security Department said Haitians who were in the United States November 6 could apply for Temporary Protected Status and those who were granted it last year could stay an additional 18 months until August 3, 2024. The administration has extended temporary status for several countries and expanded or introduced it for Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Cameroon and Venezuela, reversing a Trump-era trend to cut back on protections for those already in the United States. TPS, which typically comes with authorisation to work, may be extended in increments up to 18 months for countries struck by natural disasters or civil strife. Haiti has seen increasingly brazen attacks by gangs that have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of ...

Over 12 killed, houses burnt in Haiti as gangs vie for control, says Mayor

More than 12 people were slain and numerous homes set on fire in a community near Haiti's capital as gangs fight to control more territory, a mayor told The Associated Press on Thursday. The incident occurred in the small town of Cabaret northwest of Port-au-Prince at nearly midnight Tuesday, Mayor Joseph Jeanson Guillaume said. The community recently appointed local residents to serve as guards given a spike in violence across Haiti, but they were overpowered by gangs with machine guns, he said. There was nothing they were able to do to defend themselves, Guillaume said. This is a terrible incident. Pictures and videos shared on social media show the bodies of mutilated victims strewn outside their homes and fires burning through the night, consuming more than 20 houses. Guillaume called on Haiti's National Police to bring those responsible to justice and to strengthen the presence and resources of officers in Cabaret, which he said has become a lawless zone. He also urged town

Dominican Republic expels 1,800 migrant children to Haiti, says Unicef

Dominican authorities have expelled at least 1,800 unaccompanied Haitian migrant children this year, sending them back to their crisis-stricken country, UNICEF said. The Dominican Republic denied the claim, which came Tuesday amid the government's intensifying crackdown on migration in response to a cholera outbreak and ongoing gang violence in Haiti. The two countries share a 390-kilometer border on the island of Hispaniola. The crackdown has provoked harsh criticism by international observers, including the United States, which have accused the country of mass deportations, racist treatment of migrants and detentions of Haitians in facilities with poor conditions. Among those fleeing to the Dominican Republic are girls and boys, many of whom are sent back to Haiti through different border points, where they have been received by UNICEF partners at the border, according to the organisation. The information was first reported by CNN, and confirmed by UNICEF, which declined to comm

Thousands protest across Haiti as UN to discuss troops deployment

Thousands across Haiti organised protests demanding the prime minister's resignation as the country commemorated the death of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a slave who became the leader of the world's first Black republic. The protests on Monday come hours before the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet and vote on several measures to tackle the increasingly chaotic situation in Haiti, which is awaiting a response on its recent request for the immediate deployment of foreign troops. "The US needs Haiti to make its own decisions and not interfere in Haiti's business," said Marco Duvivier, a 35-year-old auto parts store manager, who had joined Monday's protest in Port-au-Prince. "Life is not going to get better with an international force." Haiti has practically reached a standstill more than a month after one of the country's most powerful gangs surrounded a key fuel terminal in the capital and prevented the distribution of more than 10 million gallons of gasoline and fuel

US government to nearly double temporary visas for non-agricultural jobs

Twenty thousand of the H-2B visas will be granted to workers from the Central American countries of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala as well as Haiti

Haiti's economy tanks, violence soars after govt removes fuel subsidy

Daily life in Haiti began to spin out of control last month just hours after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said fuel subsidies would be eliminated, causing prices to double. Gunshots rang out as protesters blocked roads with iron gates and mango trees. Then Haiti's most powerful gang took it a step further: It dug trenches to block access to the Caribbean country's largest fuel terminal, vowing not to budge until Henry resigns and prices for fuel and basic goods go down. The poorest country in the Western hemisphere is in the grips of an inflationary vise that is squeezing its citizenry and exacerbating protests that have brought society to the breaking point. Violence is raging and making parents afraid to send their kids to school; fuel and clean water are scarce; and hospitals, banks and grocery stores are struggling to remain open. The president of neighbouring Dominican Republic described the situation as a low-intensity civil war. Life in Haiti is always extremely difficult, if

Haiti reports more than 8 deaths from cholera for first time in 3 years

Haiti's government on Sunday announced that at least eight people have died from cholera, raising concerns about another potentially catastrophic epidemic like the one that broke out a decade ago and killed nearly 10,000 people. The cases-the first cholera deaths reported in three years-came in a community called Dekayet in southern Port-au-Prince and in the seaside slum of Cite de Soleil, where thousands of people live in cramped, unsanitary conditions. "Cholera is something that can spread very, very quickly," warned Laure Adrien, director general of Haiti's health ministry. Food or water contaminated with the cholera bacteria can lead to severe diarrhoea and dehydration that can be deadly. The deaths come as a lack of fuel and ongoing protests shut down the availability of basic services across Haiti, including medical care and clean water, which is key to helping fight cholera and keep patients alive. Haiti's most powerful gang continues to control the entrance to a main fuel

India raises concern at UNSC over Haiti's multi-dimensional challenges

India on Thursday raised concern over the multi-dimensional challenges Haiti faces in the backdrop of natural calamities and political turmoil at the United Nations Security Council

Suspect in Haiti president Jovenel Mose's assassination extradited to US

US authorities have said that a businessman accused in the July 7 killing of Haitian President Jovenel Mose was extradited to face criminal charges in Miami

Prime Minister of Haiti survives assassination attempt: Reports

A failed attempt to assassinate the PM of Haiti, Ariel Henry, took place on Sunday at a church in the city of Gonaives during a mass dedicated to the 218th anniversary of the country's independence

Over 40 killed, dozens injured after fuel truck explosion in Haiti

More than 40 people have died and dozens were injured after a fuel truck exploded in northern Haiti, media and government officials have said.

Massachusetts' governor weighs $20 mn in aid to Afghanistan, Haiti refugees

Immigrant advocates in Massachusetts are cheering the inclusion of $20 million in aid to Afghan refugees and Haitian migrants in a broader, $4 billion spending plan from state lawmakers. The bill, which was approved last week and is currently awaiting Republican Governor Charlie Baker's signature, sets aside $12 million for Afghan refugees and another $8 million for Haitian migrants. Jeffrey Thielman, president and CEO of the International Institute of New England, one of the state's major refugee resettlement nonprofits, said Friday the bill, if approved, would make Massachusetts one of the few if only states to commit state money to support the latest wave of immigrants from both troubled countries. Massachusetts really stands out, he said, noting that Oregon lawmakers have proposed allocating $18 million to help resettle some 1,200 Afghan refugees. New York has also committed $5 million to help nearly 1,800 Afghans resettle in the state, and California's governor and legislative

WhatsApp, social posts helped lead Haitian migrants to Texas

For the final leg of his journey from Chile to the United States, Haitian migrant Fabricio Jean followed detailed instructions sent to him via WhatsApp from his brother in New Jersey

US ramps up plan to expel Haitian migrants gathered in Texas

The US plans to speed up its efforts to expel Haitian migrants on flights to their Caribbean homeland, officials have said as agents poured into a Texas border city

US airlifts food, tents to earthquake-ravaged southern Haiti

US military aircraft are now flying food, tarps and other material into southern Haiti

Haiti raises earthquake death toll, passes 2,200; 344 still missing

Haiti's Civil Protection Agency said Sunday that the toll from this month's magnitude 7.2 earthquake has grown to 2,207, with 344 people still missing

Spain to send 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to earthquake-hit Haiti

Spain will send on Saturday 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Haiti hit by the powerful earthquake, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said.

Hopes for quake survivors dwindle as tropical storm Grace lashes Haiti

The latest disaster comes just over a month after Haiti was plunged into political turmoil by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7.

Haiti quake toll nears 1,300 as US deploys search teams: Report

At least 1,297 people were killed after the 7.2-magnitude quake struck off Haiti's coast, according to the nation's civil protection agency