By Rezo Nodwes, August 26, 2023
In a tweet posted on her account on Friday, Canada's Minister of External Affairs Mélanie Joly said she had had a telephone conversation with her Kenyan counterpart, Dr. Alfred Mutua, on the situation in Haiti. This conversation comes just 48 hours after the end of the visit to Port-au-Prince by a delegation of Kenyan officials.
According to Joly, the two ministers discussed "the importance of supporting Haitian-led solutions". It should be noted that Canada, a champion of human rights, has played a significant role in maintaining Ariel Henry's "illegitimate and unconstitutional regime in Haiti" for over 24 months, despite his difficulties in ensuring stable and effective governance. Henry is, above all, "criminal" according to displaced persons from Carrefour Feuilles.
One question remains. During their brief stay in Port-au-Prince the Kenyan officers did not hold talks with civil society actors in Haiti, who have repeatedly "proposed possible solutions to effectively put an end to the programmed gang violence in the country". They were also denounced by former colonel Himler Rébu.
Finally, Minister Joly did not provide clarification regarding information reported by the Miami Herald, which suggests that Kenya may have expressed an interest in the direct management of ports, airport and other government infrastructure in Haiti, rather than focusing on fighting gangs in their strongholds.
Translated by CHIP editors
Posted August 28, 2023