By Vladimir Predvil, Le National, August 19, 2023
The Collectif des partis politiques du 30 janvier (January 30 Collective of Political Parties), made up of leaders from MOPOD, UNIR, PHTK, LAPEH, OPL, Pitit Desalin and GREH, denounced the complicit silence of the Henry government, who are doing nothing to come to the rescue of the Haitian people, particularly those of Carrefour-Feuilles, in the face of the tribulation and humiliation they are enduring.
For Clarens Renois, leader of the political party Union nationale pour l'intégrité et la réconciliation (UNIR), the situation is untenable. "This situation concerns us all, but the absence and/or silence of the authorities concerned gives more power to the armed gangs that are fueling the country's serious multidimensional crisis", he said. "Whatever the de facto rulers may be doing, they should be acting urgently to help this population, which has been left to fend for itself. It's the first time we've seen and experienced such tragedies."
"This is why the Collectif des partis politiques du 30 janvier considers this attitude to be a crime against society as a whole. This is not the first time these acts have occurred in the country," Renois said, referring to Tabarre, Bel-Air, Delmas 2, La Saline Canaan and Artibonite, where various crimes have been committed under the eyes of authorities. "Atrocities committed by armed gangs must never go unpunished", he said.
In Mr Renois' opinion, despite its best efforts, the Haitian National Police is far from performing adequately. He added that it seems very timid; lacking equipment, motivation and preparation in the face of armed gangs who are better armed. "Speaking of these considerations, we must not put politics to one side," he said in an interview with Le National on Friday, August 18, 2023.
"Thus, we can neither ignore the weakness of our forces of order nor the silence of the authorities and not recognize that this situation is overtaking us. If the international community offers Haiti support, it's almost inevitable that this force will come. Haitian citizens need to resume their activities and live in a secure climate", said Clarens Renois. He expressed reservations, however, about the possible arrival of this intervention force and its objectives. Renois said "we want the mission's objectives to include supervision and equipment for our national security forces, so that they can take over when the foreign mission leaves."
Renois added that "Ariel Henry's government feels comfortable in this macabre situation and has no interest in hunting down the armed gangs that are plaguing the country. A solution must be found to restore confidence and balance within the state and the population, so that strategic measures can be taken to resolve the security crisis and set the course for honest, democratic elections. This problem of governance must be resolved."
Translated by CHIP editors
Posted August 21, 2023