US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday promised another $133 million to support Haiti, saying the spiraling crisis showed the urgency of deploying a multinational force.
Addressing an emergency Caribbean conference in Jamaica, Blinken said the United States would commit another $100 million to the forthcoming Multinational Security Support Mission plus an immediate $33 million in humanitarian aid, bringing total US pledges for Haiti during the years-long crisis to $333 million.
Haiti has been plagued for decades by grinding poverty, natural disasters and political instability but things got much worse since the assassination of president Jovenel Moise in 2021. Well-armed gangs that control much of the country and most of the capital have been on a rampage since last week.
The escalating violence “creates an untenable situation for the Haitian people, and we all know that urgent action is needed both on the political and security tracks,” Blinken said.
“Only the Haitian people can determine their own future — not anyone else,” Blinken said.
But he said that the United States and its partners “can help restore foundational security” and address “the tremendous suffering that Haitians are suffering.”
Canada — whose prime minister, Justin Trudeau, participated virtually in the talks — earlier offered more than 91 million US dollars for Haiti.
Other countries that have announced financial or logistical contributions include Benin, France, Germany, Jamaica and Spain, according to US officials.
President Joe Biden has ruled out sending troops to Haiti, which the United States occupied for nearly two decades a century ago and where it has intervened since.
Biden withdrew troops from Afghanistan in 2021 and has vowed to limit risks to US troops.
After the Biden administration declined to send troops, eyes turned to Canada, which also decided that a Haiti mission was too dangerous with success uncertain.
Kenya stepped forward but was set back by a domestic court ruling against the deployment to Haiti.
The Kenyan deployment plan has again picked up steam after Prime Minister Ariel Henry visited Nairobi and agreed on a “reciprocal” exchange of forces between the two countries.
Henry was blocked from returning to Haiti by the intensifying violence. He is stranded in the US territory of Puerto Rico as the United States and Caribbean leaders encourage him to step away.
