Haiti's leader requests foreign armed forces to quell chaos

Haiti's government has agreed to request the help of international troops as gangs and protesters paralyze the country and supplies of water, fuel and basic goods dwindle, according to a document published Friday.

The document, signed by Prime Minister Ariel Henry and 18 top-ranking officials, states that they are alarmed by "the risk of a major humanitarian crisis” that is threatening the life of many people.

It authorizes Henry to request from international partners "the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity," to stop the crisis across the country caused partly by the "criminal actions of armed gangs.”

"It is imperative to restart activities to avoid a complete asphyxiation of the national economy,” the document states.
It wasn’t clear if the request had been formally submitted, to whom it would be submitted and whether it would mean the activation of United Nations peacekeeping troops, whose mission ended five years ago after a troubled 11 years in Haiti.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy warned that "U.S. citizens should depart Haiti now in light of the current health and security situation and infrastructure challenges.” It also authorized the temporary departure of government personnel and their families.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said earlier in the day that the U.S. is considering a request for a humanitarian corridor to restore the distribution of fuel within Haiti and coordinating with Haiti's prime minister and other international partners to determine how best to provide additional support.
"We strongly condemn those who continue to block the distribution of fuel and other necessities to Haitian businesses,” he said.

Patel would not address the issue of where the troops to enforce the corridor might come from, saying that consideration was still in an early stage.
The petition comes after Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, met Thursday with officials including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Haiti Foreign Affairs Minister Jean Victor Généus to talk about the country’s worsening situation.

Almagro tweeted late Thursday that Haiti "must request urgent assistance from the international community to help resolve security crises, determine the characteristics of an international security force.”

Many Haitians have rejected the idea of another international intervention, noting that U.N. peacekeepers were accused of sexual assault and sparked a cholera epidemic more than a decade ago that killed nearly 10,000 people.

"I don’t think Haiti needs another intervention,” said Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s former elections minister. "We have been through so many, and nothing has been solved .... If we don’t do it as Haitians, 10 years forward, we’re going to be in the same situation again.”

He called on the U.S. government to help reduce the amount of ammunition and guns flowing to Haiti and also to equip police officers so they have more weapons and the ability to run intelligence on gangs.