Haiti faces “Explosive” Crisis

Haiti has gone through a lot in resent years. The country has not really recovered from the 2010 earthquake and has been hit by other natural disasters and economic crises. In the last week a new crisis has emerged involving President Jovenal Moïse not stepping down from office. The Haitian bishops have issued a statement of the current crisis.

By ACN Staff

Street violence in Haiti. (Credit: Digital Democracy)

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The Caribbean island is still recovering from the devastating earthquake which occurred in 2010. Given the poverty in Haiti, the country had very poor infrastructure which was particularly susceptible to the damage from the earthquake. The damaged caused is estimated to be in the billions. Hundreds of thousands of people tragically lost their lives. Countless others lost their homes. Haiti has struggled to recover from this disaster. To make things even worse, the country has been hit by a political crisis.

Street Violence in Haiti. (Credit: Digital Democracy)

Much of this controversy is centred on the Haitian President, Jovenal Moïse.  Moïse first became president in 2017, following election in 2016. The election was held six weeks after Haiti was hit by a hurricane, which partly caused a low turnout of around one fifth of the electorate. Moïse’s presidency has been marked by controversy and scandal. His administration has been accused of corruption and there have been price increases on basic necessities such as fuel. This has caused widespread protests calling on President Moïse to resign.

Bishop Desinord Jean of the Diocese of Hinche, Haiti. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)

This political controversy has become even more intense in the last week. President Moïse was supposed to step down as president on 7th February, as this is when his tenure in office was due to expire. He has not stepped down and is instead planning to stay office into next year. He claims he was not able to take office at the appropriate time, and therefore he should be able to stay in office until until the beginning of next year. This has caused widespread unrest and political tension.

The Bishop’s Conference of Haiti has issued a statement in reference to current political events. They call engagement of the entire country and warn of the consequences if this does not happen:

“The country is on the brink of an explosion. The daily lives of the people revolve around death, murder, impunity and uncertainty”.

The bishops lament how politicians are acting in Haiti and state clearly the position of the Church:

“In the succession of Christ, the Church is always on the side of law, truth, justice and respect for life and human dignity.”

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) stands in support with the Church in Haiti. ACN has worked in Haiti for many years. Last year alone, ACN sent over €550,000 in aid to the Haitian Church in order to fund over 30 projects. These projects covered everything from donation to maintain vehicles to allow priests to care for their flocks to special COVID assistance through Mass offerings. None of this would be possible if not for the generous support from ACN’s benefactors. If you wish to support ACN’s work please consider making a donation and please keep the work ACN in your prayers.