US to increase funding for foreign security force in Haiti as gangs terrorize country

BOGOTA, Colombia

The situation in Haiti was discussed Monday at a crisis meeting of Caribbean states (CARICOM) in the Jamaican capital Kingston.

It was attended by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Barcena, Guyana President Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

After the meeting, Blinken announced that the US will contribute an additional $100 million for the deployment of a multinational security force intended to help Haitian police fight gangs. He also promised $33 million in humanitarian aid.

“I’m announcing today that the United States Department of Defense is doubling its approved support for the mission from $100 million to $200 million. And that brings the total US support to $300 million for this effort,” he said.

Armed gangs are attempting to overthrow Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has been stranded in Puerto Rico since last week, unable to return home as violence and unrest by gangs surge in the country. Criminal groups control much of Haiti's capital and have closed down its main international airports.

During the past weekend, heavily armed gangs attacked the National Palace and set fire to the Ministry of the Interior. Since Feb. 29, armed men have burned police stations, attacked government offices and raided the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. The Haitian government has extended a nighttime curfew until March 14.

Dozens of people have been killed and more than 15,000 have been forced to flee their homes to protect themselves from the ravaging violence. The main port in Port-au-Prince remains closed, stranding dozens of containers with supplies. Water is diminishing and stores are running out of goods.

The meeting in Jamaica was held as powerful gangs continued to attack key government targets across Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. Haiti gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, also known as "Barbecue," on Monday prevented hotel owners from "hiding politicians."

"What is happening in the country depends on us, Haitians, to decide who should lead the country, what form of government we want and how we are going to get the country out of the misery in which it finds itself," said Barbecue.

Dominican President Luis Abinader warned Monday that his country will take certain measures to maintain its security if the international community does not act quickly in the neighboring nation.

"We do not want complaints afterwards about the measures we will take to guarantee the security of our country," Abinader said.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele wrote over the weekend on his X account that just as his country ended gang violence in El Salvador, it can also "annihilate" gangs in Haiti.

"We can fix it. But we will need a UN Security Council resolution, the consent of the host country and to cover all the expenses of the mission," Bukele wrote.