HAITI | Gang Threat to Haiti's Transition Sparks Urgent CARICOM Call to Action

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, April 14, 2025 -  In a chilling escalation of Haiti's ongoing crisis, criminal gangs are now openly threatening to topple the country's fragile transitional government, prompting swift condemnation from Caribbean leaders.

The Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have denounced what amounts to an attempted coup by armed coalitions seeking to derail Haiti's path toward democratic elections.

"This is completely unacceptable," CARICOM declared in a statement that leaves no room for ambiguity about the regional body's stance. The transitional arrangements—painstakingly negotiated by Haitian stakeholders to guide the troubled nation toward free and fair elections by February 7, 2026—now hang in the balance as gang violence intensifies.

The human toll of this power struggle continues to mount at an alarming rate. According to the International Organization on Migration, over one million Haitians were internally displaced by mid-January, with nearly 60,000 more forced from their homes in just the past month.

Many desperate citizens are already risking their lives to flee the island nation by any means possible, creating a humanitarian emergency that threatens to spiral further out of control with each new outbreak of violence.

Behind closed doors, CARICOM has initiated urgent consultations with Haiti and international partners to bolster security assistance. The regional body praised the efforts of Haitian security forces and the Multinational Security Support mission led by Kenya, which are fighting an increasingly difficult battle to restore order and protect civilians caught in the crossfire.

The danger looming over Haiti's transition has prompted CARICOM to call for broader international intervention. The organization has explicitly urged both the United Nations and the Organization of American States to "take all necessary steps" to support Haitian authorities—a diplomatic appeal that barely masks the desperation of the situation.

As the shadow of gang rule threatens to engulf Haiti completely, CARICOM has promised to monitor developments closely. But monitoring alone may prove insufficient if the international community fails to respond with the urgency this brewing catastrophe demands.

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