Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has explained why St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the wider region should have an interest in what is happening in Haiti.
The Prime Minister at the time had just provided an update on a meeting held over the weekend pertaining to the crisis in Haiti.
Prime Minister Gonsalves during a call to WE FM’s Issue At Hand program on Sunday said that there are migration and security issues that can affect SVG as a result Haiti’s conflict. He also highlighted the fact that Haiti is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
“People may ask in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for instance, “so Ralph, why you interested in this?” Well first of all, Haiti is a member of CARICOM, so you can’t have a member having problems and you don’t have an interest. Secondly, there are migration and security issues which could come down to us,” the Prime Minister.
In the power vacuum that followed the assassination of democratically elected President of Haiti Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Ariel Henry, who was prime minister under Moïse, assumed power, with the support of several nations, including the U.S.
When Haiti failed to hold elections multiple times — Henry said it was due to logistical problems or violence — protests rang out against him. By the time Henry announced last year that elections would be postponed again, to 2025, armed groups that were already active in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, dialed up the violence.
