Haiti is the poorest country in the Caribbean and among the poorest countries in the world, with 60 percent of the population living in poverty according to IBRD (International bank of reconstruction and development). Additionally, the Caribbean country is going through a critical moment after the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry as a result of the increased violence by armed gangs.
Latin America’s relationship with the actual crisis in Haiti underscores a region-wide concern for stability and humanitarian assistance. In addition to all the Haitians history of political instability, murders of presidents, opponents, coup d’etat and human rights violations, etc., the country has the misfortune of being on an island located in a seismic zone that together with poverty. The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic event. According to the International committee of the Red Cross, around 3 million of people were affected and his neighbors in Latin America have been actively involved in international efforts to address the crisis.
The island of Hispaniola, located in the Caribbean Sea, has been marked since its origins by the problems between the two states it houses: Dominican Republic and Haiti. The tension between both countries has increased through decades, largely due to the governance crisis that Haiti is experiencing due to the actions of criminal groups that Port-au-Prince has failed to control now.
Faced with the escalation of crime on the other side of the border, Dominican President Luis Abinader reinforced the closure of the border by mobilizing more soldiers towards the border. According to Daniel Pou, a Dominican political scientist and security expert, the country invested more than 43 million dollars in surveillance and security by air, land and sea in 2023.
As for today’s news, Haitis government has declared a state of emergency following violent crashes in the capital that have damaged communications and let to two prison breaks as a major gang leader seeks to oust prime minister Ariel Henry. The crisis in Haiti has been multifaceted and affected strongly to their neighbours who are demanding for international intervention as a response.
The Dominican Republic, in particular, has been vocal in raising awareness about Haiti’s dire situation, with Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez highlighting the urgent need for immediate action during his address to the United Nations. This diplomatic pressure has helped direct support for international initiatives aimed at stabilizing Haiti and addressing the root causes of its instability.
Fears among the citizens and other nations continue to rise as the panorama is nothing than hopeless. The bloc, made up of Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Dominica and Saint Lucia, considers that Haiti “deserves immediate attention and international help for the population, their well-being and development being the main reasons for any action”.