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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Pwason kuit je kale, kabrit kuit je kale
Fish is cooked with its eyes wide open, goat is cooked with its eyes wide open
(Haitian Proverb)
CHAY LA | Main Story
The chicken or the egg?
On Oct. 2, the United Nations Security Council voted on a resolution approving a non-UN intervention led by Kenya. The resolution brought forth by Ecuador and the US, authorizes the formation and deployment of a Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. Passing with 13 votes in favor and 2 abstentions from China and Russia due to questions surrounding a general lack of clarity in the resolution and specificities such as an exit strategy. Concerns are being raised about the aim of the mission and Ariel Henry’s intent in requesting a military intervention as a de facto prime minister backed by the Core Group.
The Kenyan judiciary has temporarily suspended the deployment of its police force to Haiti. And, according to constitutional expert, Ekuru Aukot, Kenyan President William Ruto is violating both the Kenya police act and the Kenyan constitution in this endeavor. There is also general skepticism and concern as to what might have prompted the Kenyan government to throw its hat in the ring, with security concerns of its own.
Many see this mission as an unserious endeavor by the international community to protect an unelected government which was put in place by a president whose mandate was contested in the first place.
“We are told that the interest of the U.S. in Haiti is humanitarian, that the U.S wants to protect the Haitian people from “criminal gangs.” Yet U.S. weapons have flooded Haiti, and the U.S. has consistently rejected calls to effectively enforce the UNSC resolution for an arms embargo against the Haitian and U.S. elite who import guns into the country.” - Black Alliance for Peace
“Pwoblèm Ayiti nan 15 dènye ane sa yo se USA ak ONU ki trafike eksperyans demokrasi Ayiti epi favorize politisyen kriminèl vin dirijan Ayiti. Dirijan sa yo asosye yo ak mafya Latino ak Amerik Nò pou fè Ayiti tounen yon depotwa kriminalite transnasyonal.
Misyon k ap miltipliye chak 10 a 20 ane sa yo, se misyon kache peche ak kase kouvri KRIM tout kalte ki fèt kont pèp ayisyen an: kòb ki disparèt (CIRH, petro caribe) ak anviwon 10.000 moun ki pèdi lavi yo, soti 2018 pou rive jodi a. San konte byen ki pèdi ak kidnapin.” - James Beltis via Twitter
“This [intervention] validates a criminal regime… The United States $100 million. Imagine if this $100 million was invested maybe two years ago to help bring about humanitarian aid.” - Monique Clesca of Monatana Accord for Democracy Now
“We believe that the decision to deploy Kenya's police officers to head the MSS Mission in Haiti is ill-advised, opportunistic, and undermines the spirit of Pan-Africanism.” Statement from the ODM Party, Kenya’s largest opposition party
“What no one could say out loud yesterday was that the principal underlying cause is the complete breakdown of democracy and governance in Haiti—both generally, over the last twenty years, and acutely since 2021. They couldn’t say that out loud because the biggest indication of that breakdown is not the gangs but the current, unelected Haitian government, whose representative they all kept welcoming to the table, and whose de facto leader nominally requested the armed mission they were approving in the first place.” - Jonathan Katz via The Racket News
POLITIK POLEMIK
Bandi Legal?
Former President, Michel Martelly appeared before judge, Walter Wesser Voltaire in the investigation into Jovenel Moise’s assassination, on Oct. 3. Martelly is suspected of having ordered the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, his successor, according to Pierre Espérance, the Executive Director of the National Human Rights Defense Network (Rnddh). The Rnndh have also denounced a plan by Martelly to assassinate its executive director.
Walter Wesser Voltaire is the 5th judge appointed to preside over the case and, like others before him, has expressed the wish to interview de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry and several of his ministers and directors-general.
As you might recall, Ariel Henry has declined questioning and subsequently fired a presiding judge in the case, raising eyebrows and casting doubt on the investigation in Haiti.
Over in the US, John Joel Joseph, former Haitian Senator, pled guilty to contributing to Jovenel Moise’s murder in federal court in Miami, following a plea deal with the US government.
POLITIK POLEMIK
Kanal la p ap kanpe
Effective Oct. 11, the Dominican Republic has reopened its borders for trade only in the form of provisional trade corridors for essential Dominican goods, including food and medicine. The passage of people from the Haitian territory will not be permitted — for any stated purpose, including work, tourism, health, and education purposes. They are also upholding the ban on issuing visas to Haitian citizens implemented in September 2023.
The North-East Chamber of Commerce (Cci/Nord-est) expressed its indignation faced with this move by the Dominicans, and Haitians have understood this as an affront and, in return, have not opened the border on their side.
Dominican merchants have been feeling the pinch, while Abinader continues to take hostile actions against the Haitian people, including ordering the revival of the use of a nearby canal (Canal de la Vigía) to collect water before the Massacre River enters Haitian territory.
Haiti is the Dominican Republic’s No. 3 trading partner, with $1 billion in exports to Haiti last year and $11 million in imports, according to the Dominican Republic’s Export and Investment Center.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic’s Central Bank found that $430 million in informal border trade was conducted in 2017 between both countries. Of that amount, more than $330 million represented exports to Haiti. (Source: Associated Press)
The Haitian government has issued a statement denouncing the Dominican Republic’s actions — for depriving Haitians of access to water and opting for an inequitable policy on shared water resources.
There were also reports of a fire on the border on the side of the Dominicans in Dajabón, which is said to have largely affected Haitians.
Haitians have been discussing and planning ways to take advantage of this opportunity to reduce our dependence on the Dominican Republic for food. The Ministry of Commerce has been holding meetings with business owners on alternatives for trade and ways to boost local food production. One such promising sector is poultry.
Veterinarian Michel Chancy envisages the possibility of regaining a large share of the market within the next two years. The former Secretary of State for Animal Production believes this is possible if the government mobilizes infrastructure and supports producers in the country.
« Il y a beaucoup de producteurs dans le pays qui connaissent la filière, qui investissent, qui ont énormément d’expérience. Ce sont ces gens qu'il faut accompagner. Il y a 18 écoles d’agronomie qui fonctionnent dans le pays. Tous ces jeunes ont besoin de travail, ils ont des connaissances. Il faut des responsables qui soient prêts à les accompagner en vue de relancer l’appareil de production », a plaidé Michel Chancy.
[…]
Si le vétérinaire voit une opportunité de relancer la production d’œufs en Haïti après la fermeture unilatérale des frontières par le président dominicain, il estime que la revitalisation est possible même après leur réouverture. « Il suffirait d’exiger le respect des normes sanitaires sur l’importation des aliments frais », estime Michel Chancy. « Tous les œufs qui viennent de la République dominicaine entrent dans le pays sans aucune autorisation. Or selon les normes internationales de commerce alimentaire, il y a un ensemble de démarches sanitaires qui accompagne tout produit frais qui quitte un pays en direction d’un autre. Les œufs dominicains ne sont pas emballés selon les normes internationales; sur les caisses, devraient être indiqué la ferme de production de l’œuf et sa date depuis qu’il a été pondu », a-t-il détaillé.
L’exigence uniquement du respect des normes sanitaires pourrait nous aider à rééquilibrer le marché d’œufs dans le pays. (Source: Le Nouvelliste)
ON THIS DAY
Perejil
Oct. 2 marks the anniversary of the Perejil massacre when in 1937, the execution of Haitian families as well as Dominicans of Haitian descent began under the orders of Rafael Trujillo in this border region. The killings lasted between 5-8 days. A moratorium was set on newspapers that covered the massacre at the time and it wasn’t until Trujillo’s assassination in 1961 that researchers began to investigate what happened. It is still unclear how many people were actually killed in this massacre, with estimates ranging from 1,000-30,000. Haitians commemorated it in the country and abroad, at the canal, and on the river.
KILTIRÈL
The 8th edition of La Quinzaine Internationale Handicap et Culture organized by Theatre Toupatou is currently being held in Port-au-Prince. This 15-day-long culture and arts festival for people with disabilities includes workshops, plays, and panel discussions, among other activities. This year, the theme "S'ouvrir a l'albinisme" highlights the experiences, brilliance, and challenges of Haitians with albinism.