Haiti: Government requests international troops

By James Blears

Prime Minister Ariel Henri has invited in a peace keeping force to come to Haiti and share its myriad of problems. But the question is if it would combat and dispel criminal gangs which are blockading the main fuel terminal in the Capital Port au Prince, or rather fulfil a stabilizing peace keeping role in a similar way to the UN led mission to Haiti from 2004 to 2017.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is calling for a Direct-Action deployment to be sent to Haiti, but it`s still unclear what nations it would comprise of. Prime Minister Henri`s SOS appeal has been met with furious protests in the major cities, with anger in some quarters about the prospect of renewed long term foreign intervention.  Yet, food is critically in short supply, public transport isn`t operating and there have been outbreaks of cholera. This last this  happened in 2010, following an earthquake which left quarter of a million Haitians dead and many more homeless, it claimed more than ten thousand lives. 

The situation has spiralled out of control following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July last year. There have been no elections in Haiti since 2016, and it remains the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  Combined international help and aid is needed to save a nation which is economically and politically drowning in a maelstrom of lawlessness, disorder, hunger and strife.