Kabrit gade je mèt kay anvan l antre
June 22, 2024 - July 5, 2024
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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Kabrit gade je mèt kay anvan l antre
Goats only enter the yards of people they know
(Haitian proverb)
CHAY LA | Main Story
Les Kenyans Débarquent
The military intervention led by Kenya has materialized with the arrival of over 200 troops from Nairobi to Port-au-Prince on June 25th, 2024. In a press conference, Prime Minister Gary Conille thanked the Kenyan delegation and the Kenyan people for their solidarity. Yet, such an arrangement was put into place despite legal action taken by Kenyans and court rulings finding such a deployment illegal and the Kenyan people taking to the streets against Ruto’s government. Thanking the Kenyan people ignores that this mission is rather a result of the US's influence over other countries to do its bidding. At the press conference, Conille also called for all Haitians to turn the page toward a new future, even the armed groups—asking that they lay down their arms and recognize the authority of the State.
The arrival of the Kenyans has been received by Haitians with skepticism by many and relief tempered by doubt by others because of Haiti’s past catastrophic experiences of intervention. The latest attack by a gang in Gresye on June 30th was particularly brutal against civilians. Some analysts see this attack as a strategy by the gangs to try to take control of the southern coast. Tens of thousands of people throughout Pòtoprens are living in internally displaced camps in deplorable conditions while hurricane season is upon us. To relieve the level of misery, allow people to return home, and improve food security throughout the country, the security situation must improve. This set of challenges can’t be fixed by a few hundred Kenyan soldiers but rather by broad and decisive policy changes with smart participation by the Haitian civil society in collaboration with the people.
Even though it’s been touted as a panacea by the government and the international community, we know the limits and dangers of such interventions. Our editor, Melodie Cerin, explored the topic when the late President Jovenel Moise (assassinated three years ago today) called for a military intervention back in 2021:
"The U.S. occupation which lasted from 1915 – 1934 was a systematic campaign of economic pillage and plunder imposed through violence, resulting in the deaths of fifteen thousand Haitians. US troops came again in 1994 to reinstate Aristide and briefly again after the coup d’etat in 2004. More recently, UN peacekeeping forces have introduced Cholera to Haiti resulting in 10,000 people dead. There were countless credible allegations of rape by the UN soldiers and abandoned children. And this same UN intervention facilitated the propagation of armed gangs in Port-au-Prince and killed many civilians in the raids it waged against gangs, several of them women and children. UN missions don’t just fail in Haiti, this is the case in other countries as well. Often, the solutions implemented are not adapted to the realities on the ground and as the political landscape shifts so does the mission, dragging it out many years. UN missions become increasingly violent and interventionist, no longer only tasked with keeping the peace. " (Source: Woy Magazine)
What measures are in place to limit civilian deaths? What mechanisms of accountability exist for soldiers? According to the agreement on the multinational force signed by Haiti and Kenya made public by AyiboPost, staff members and local contractors from the mission are granted immunity and cannot be imprisoned in Haiti even if a crime has been committed. Where applicable, mission staff are to be deferred to their country of origin for criminal prosecution.
Furthermore, mission personnel are not required to submit to any searches or inspections upon their arrival in Haiti. Nor is the mission subject to any financial review. Tax exemptions are also part of the deal on personnel salaries and goods imported. Any materials, goods, or provisions not left to the Haitian government can be re-exported or transferred at the mission’s discretion. According to Carlos Hercule, the newly appointed Minister of Justice and Public Security, this is a standard agreement — very similar to the United Nations Convention [of 1946] on diplomatic privileges and immunities.
The document does not touch on what measures will be put in place to limit civilian casualties, nor does it discuss what the mission’s first steps will be. Kenyan activist Jim India, in an open letter to the Haitian people in the New Humanitarian, warns Haitians of the following about the Kenyan police.
The Kenyan police are known to fire live bullets whenever protesters gather. They resort to this extreme measure even when they are already clobbering, kicking, tear-gassing, and knocking people down.
Be aware their first response is always aggression. You will be dealing with a force trained to view people as lesser beings. They lack the capacity to reason, negotiate, or empathise — violence is their default response.
Despite our relatively progressive constitution and elaborate bill of rights, we the people of Kenya have borne the burden of this violence.
In recent weeks, street protests have erupted against a finance bill that aims to increase taxes for an already financially overburdened citizenry. Dubbed “Gen Z protests”, these demonstrations are led organically by fearless young people.
But despite their peaceful nature, and the guaranteed constitutional right to protest, they have been met with tear gas, water cannons, and live bullets. Tragically, more than 20 people have lost their lives and hundreds more are nursing gunshot wounds.
Our police lack the sensibility and decorum required of someone carrying a firearm, therefore I encourage you to approach them with caution.
For years, Kenya has been awash with reports of young men being executed in broad daylight by the police. When conducting these extrajudicial killings, they have preferred places to dump the bodies – usually in rivers or in game parks – where they become food for wild animals.
And the Kenyan police can abduct at will. In 2016, they even abducted a lawyer, his client, and their taxi driver, outside a high court. All three were murdered and their bodies found on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi.
So, in Haiti, the first thing they might do when they arrive is to scout for a “proper” place where they will dump the bodies. Be vigilant: Do not allow them the opportunity to carry out such evil acts in your territory; have systems in place to hold them accountable.
Another weakness of the Kenya Police Force is their greed and fondness for corruption.
Our duty now is to be vigilant, ask questions, demand accountability measures, and stand in solidarity with the masses.
IMIGRASYON
After gutting the asylum system, Biden has announced a program to allow the undocumented spouses of US citizens to get a work permit and eventually get a green card. Temporary Protected Status was also renewed until February 3rd, 2026, opening it up to over 300,000 people, including those who left Haiti on humanitarian parole. Being able to apply for TPS is a significant opportunity for many Haitians who left on humanitarian parole as it only offers a clear legal status for two years. TPS is a more stable mechanism. This extension only applies to Haitians who were in the US on or before June 3rd, 2024. Immigration activists who pushed for this extension welcomed this announcement.