Ala bèl kouri ta bèl si pa t gen bouke
January 25, 2025 - February 07, 2025
Welcome to the latest edition of Woy Magazine’s biweekly newsletter, providing you with must-know news and commentary on Haiti and our Diaspora.
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Ala bèl kouri ta bèl si pa t gen bouke
Running would be so beautiful, if only fatigue didn't exist
(Haitian proverb)CHAY LA | Main Story
Kenskòf under attack
Communities in the mountaintop town of Kenskòf were attacked by armed groups on January 26th. Despite warnings and measures taken by the mayor’s office, the Haitian National Police (PNH) did not take preventive actions to stave off the attack. Armed groups set their sights on Kenskòf and its path to the southern region of the country as another strategic artery to take over to set up informal tolls to extort the population. This has been a major part of their strategy and a major obstacle for people within and beyond the capital, allowing the gangs to control the flow of goods across the country, but most importantly to generate revenue. The Kenskòf road is one of the few remaining options for relatively safe passage out of Pòtoprens. Taking over Kenskòf also makes neighboring Petyonvil vulnerable to attacks. An estimated 4,000 people have been displaced so far.
According to Fondasyon Je Klere, a human rights organization that conducted an investigation, about 150 people were killed in these attacks and 100 houses were burned. The Haitian police and Kenyan forces showed up in the morning after the massacre. The police killed many armed group members, but the police did not manage to push out the armed groups from the more remote areas of Kenskòf.
La police avait promis qu’elle mettrait tout en œuvre pour contre-carrer l’attaque et faire échec aux bandits. Cette promesse de la police était pourtant fallacieuse. Les policiers n’étaient pas sincères ni dans leurs paroles ni dans leurs actes. Ils ont banalisé les menaces et n’ont pris aucune mesure préventive.
Le massacre de Kenscoff a couté la vie à des dizaines d’innocents sans défense qui méritaient de vivre. Le massacre, comme le massacre de Pont Sondé, aurait pu être évité si les autorités avaient fait preuve d’un plus grand sens de responsabilité. L’État a failli à sa mission de protéger la vie et les biens de la population.
Les Ministres de l’Intérieur, de la Justice et de la Sécurité Publique ainsi que le Directeur Général de la Police Nationale d’Haïti auraient dû donner leur démission après ce massacre. Ils sont directement responsables de la faillite de l’État dans cette affaire. Au lieu de tirer la révérence, ils se livrent plutôt à des chamailleries en public, ce qui témoigne de leur caractère désinvolte et cynique.
Source: Fondasyon Je Klere
POLITIK/POLEMIK
U.S. Foreign Aid Hanging in the Balance
In addition to gutting Biden's immigration programs which allowed thousands of Haitians to move to the US, Trump’s shutdown of USAID and other US foreign aid has sent the aid world into a tailspin. On the pretext of cost-saving measures, this executive order freezes nearly all US foreign aid for 90 days. This is particularly disruptive in countries like Haiti where the NGO sector contributes many jobs for Haitians and represents a significant tax base for the government.
In Haiti, the freeze halts aid to programs for at-risk youth, the treatment of HIV/AIDS, emergency food aid programs, and other vital assistance initiatives. Experts also point to the potential impact this order will have on increasing deportations, where funds provided to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) help with capacity-building efforts for Haitians being repatriated to Haiti.
While the loss of jobs and services will lead to real suffering among the families affected by this funding freeze, the structural inequalities embedded in foreign funding mechanisms keep Haiti weak and bypass the state. It is a well-known fact that most of the USAID’s spending doesn’t actually go to recipient countries. This was particularly notable after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, where only about 2% of the USAID funds allocated to earthquake relief went to Haitian entities. USAID is an instrument used to serve US foreign policy interests, which has often stood in direct opposition to the interests and well-being of the Haitian people. The killing of the Kreyòl pigs in the 1980s and political intervention are obvious examples.
MSS Funding
On February 4th news broke that funding for the MSS mission was going to end. Several days later, the MSS mission held a press conference countering that information stating that US support for the mission was uninterrupted even though foreign aid was being reviewed. The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince confirmed this, asserting that not all aid had been suspended thanks to exemptions approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"The solution for Haiti is in the hands of the Haitian people, in the hands of the Haitian elite. But we will provide our assistance. We cannot ignore this country's problems. Their future, their destiny, is in their hands. Unfortunately, today, a large part of the territory is under the control of armed and dangerous gangs, and we must address this. The first objective is to restore peace, and that is the mission’s goal—a mission that we will continue to support," stated the U.S. Secretary of State. (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
In a press conference with Dominican President Luis Abinader in Santo Domingo, Rubio also stated repeatedly that the mission in its current form would need to be expanded if the gangs are to be effectively eradicated. Adding that Haiti’s future and potential manufacturing opportunities depend on it.
Most recently a group of 70 Salvadorians and 144 more Kenyans arrived to join the missions efforts in the capital.
Voltaire’s Euro Trip
Leslie Voltaire, the current president of the transitional council, was in Europe recently for a visit where he met French President Emmanuel Macron as well as the Pope. In an interview with TV5 Monde in France, he took the opportunity to announce that general elections will be held on November 25, 2025. At a press conference upon his arrival, Voltaire explained that he traveled to the Vatican to pray to the Virgin of Perpetual Help for a miracle for Haiti.
Evidently, the security question is a central concern and there are doubts on the transitional government’s ability to establish the order necessary for people to feel safe enough to show up to the polls. In this interview, Voltaire also accused former President Michel Martelly of opening flood gates to the gangs in order to maintain his grip on power.
ON THIS DAY
7 Fevriye
February 7th marked the 39th anniversary of the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier, bringing an end to three decades of rule under the Duvalier dynasty. The Duvaliers were known for their violent and repressive regime backed by the US until its collapse.
Sèl pa vante tèt li di l sale
Welcome to the latest edition of Woy Magazine’s biweekly newsletter, providing you with must-know news and commentary on Haiti and our Diaspora.
Typically, 7 fevriye is a day of protests and contestation throughout the country. Check out the newsletter above from a year ago where we talked about the political uses of 7 fevriye. This year has not seen any such resistance due to the violence gripping the country and the fact that most of the political parties are represented on the transitional council.
DEGI | Recommendations before you go
Being Haitian in the US: Confronting racist attacks and changing immigration policies - Haiti Response Coalition (panel discussion)
RASANBLE - SONJE - ESPERE | Diffusion de la cérémonie du 12 janvier 2025 FOKAL ( music, poetry, recording of commemoration 15th anniversary of earthquake)
Reprendre Notre Corps. Revendiquer nos Droits. Plaidoyer pour une Drecrimination de l'avortement en Haiti - Neges Mawon (policy brief on abortion rights)
Haitian film, “Kidnapping Inc.” is playing in select theaters around the USA (and streaming)