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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Se aprè batay ou konte blese
The wounded are counted after the battle
(Haitian Proverb)
CHAY LA | BIG STORY
This week, Canada sanctioned three major private sector actors. This is another round in a series of sanctions targeting major players involved in supporting gangs, including several politicians. Now business sector folks have been identified as anchors of the armed gangs. Among those sanctioned is Gilbert Bigio (also known as Bigio), considered the richest man in Haiti.
“Canada's government said it would freeze any local assets of three high-profile Haitian businessmen accused of supporting the country's armed gangs, the latest measure targeting those linked to the Caribbean nation's criminal groups.
The sanctions target Gilbert Bigio, chairman of Haitian industrial conglomerate GB Group, as well as prominent business leaders Reynold Deeb and Sherif Abdallah, the government said.” (Source: Reuters)
According to this article written by Jameson Francisque for AyiboPost, the former CEO’s family arrived in Haiti during the First World War. His son Reuven Bigio now heads GB Group S.A, with over 20 subsidiaries.
Sanctions were previously levied against both Gilbert Bigio and Reuven Bigio from 1991 to 1994, when Bill Clinton was in office — forbidding transactions with over 200 other influential families in Haiti at the time.
GB Group’s portfolio includes holdings in the Dominican Republic and across the Caribbean — notably in the fuel industry, with the entirety of Texaco stations in the DR under their ownership and over 400 gas stations from various brands in several Caribbean countries.
According to observers, it appears the family began to amass their fortune during the Duvalier era, but most of it is said to have been acquired following the second coup against Aristide.
The conglomerate is also said to have benefitted from the windfall (as it was described by American Ambassador Kenneth Merten according to revelations from Wikileaks) in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake — gaining construction contracts amounting to up to 20 million dollars through the Haitian Recovery Group (HRG).
“L’enquête internationale des Pandora Papers a révélé que le groupe Bigio possédait des sociétés offshores, enregistrées aux Îles vierges britanniques. Les sociétés de ce type ne signifient pas automatiquement que leurs propriétaires sont impliquées dans des affaires louches. Mais, d’après Miami Herald qui cite un directeur de Transparency International, les activités du groupe étaient quand même suspicieuses.” (Source: AyiboPost)
Yesterday the main business associations signed an agreement to stop their infighting, reform their ways, commit to transparency, and work with an eventual transitional government on a plan to revamp the Haitian economy and draw foreign investment. Some Haitian political analysts think that such efforts are a result of the sanctions.
Time will tell what real impact such sanctions will have. In the meantime, in a piece for Woy Magazine, Isabelle Jolicoeur invites us to consider how nations like Canada benefit from unrest in Haiti.
“In these circumstances, the Canadian government, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, has announced sanctions for gang members and politicians terrorizing the country. While some might consider this a first step towards contributing to peace building efforts, it is appropriate to question Canada’s positioning on the matter. With a stance generally siding with its neighbor, the United States, it is part of a group of countries who has been accused of influencing the political landscape in Haiti. Along side the U.S, France, Germany, Brazil and Spain, they are commonly referred to as “the International” and are widely criticized within Haitian society for legitimazing a illegitimate government, with alledged ties to gangs and a head of state whose name has been cited in the murder investigations of former president, Jovenel Moise.” (Source: Woy Magazine)
Semblance of peace in Martissant, could it be real?
Gangs led by «Izo» (Village-de-Dieu), «Ti Lapli» (Grand-Ravine) and «Chrisla» (Ti Bwa) have announced a truce. The violent clashes between these groups since the summer of 2021 has pushed thousands of people from their homes and blocked access to the southern regions of the country. Many are skeptical of this announcement.
According to Méhu Changeux, the president of the Association des propriétaires et chauffeurs d'Haïti (APCH), this call for a truce is only a ploy to enable these three gangs to prey on people, specifically people working in the transportation sector and passengers.
“Pour Méhu Changeux, cette stratégie, au gout du déjà vu, expérimentée par les hors-la-loi vise à berner l’opinion afin d’agir dans l’ombre d’une parodie de paix pour consolider des actes répréhensibles envers la population civile.
Moins de 24 heures après l’annonce d’une trêve sur les offensives armées entre les bandits de Gand-Ravine soutenus par les hommes de Village-de-Dieu contre les criminels de «Ti Bwa», les opérations d’enlèvement et séquestration contre rançon, les actes de détournement de camion de marchandises ont repris.
Selon le syndicaliste, une camionnette assurant le trajet Port-au-Prince/Carrefour et ses occupants ont été attaqués, mardi 6 décembre, avant d’être libérés après versement d’une rançon. L’entente trouvée s’inscrit également dans une dynamique de faciliter à chaque corps armé d’opérer sans contrainte, à tour de rôle.” (Source: Rezo Nòdwes)
POLITIK POLEMIK
In a recent memo, it was announced that government officials, including ministers, the Secretary of State, and general directors, would all require authorization to travel signed by Ariel Henry, whether traveling on official business or for personal reasons. The memo came through the Direction de l’Immigration et de l’Emigration on December 6, 2022, alerting all ports, airports, and border crossings.
This follows a memo forbidding spending on holiday gifts and festivities to keep the end-of-year expenses down to a strict minimum.
It appears that no objections have surfaced on the matter, with the targeted officials remaining mum. On the real reason behind these moves, we can only speculate, as sanctions continue to role in and outrage abounds among Haitians on social media, where the country has been held hostage for several years now.
According to the Ministry of Education, 53% of schools are now open nationwide. The official start date in October was not followed by most schools across the nation due to the wave of protests in response to the roll back of fuel subsidies and insecurity. To learn more have a listen to RFI’s coverage of this in Journal D’Haïti et Des Amériques.
The Minister of Education, Nesmy Manigat, has come under heavy criticism lately for mismanaging the launch of this school year and for traveling too much. On a recent trip to France he left an event after a Haitian women made a scene about his presence at the book fair while things in Haiti are so dire.
MIGRASYON
TPS extension and redesignation
Temporary Protect Status (TPS) for Haiti has been extended for 18 months starting February 4, 2023 through August 3, 2024. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, who made the announcement on December 5th, also announced the redesignation of Haiti for TPS which allows Haitian nationals in the United States as of November 6, 2022 to apply for TPS. This has only happened twice since 2011 as opposed to extensions. Cited among the reasons for this move “socioeconomic challenges, political instability, and gang violence and crime – aggravated by environmental disaster”.
KILTIRÈL
The Forgotten Occupation
Documentary film director, Alain Martin, talked to us about his new film The Forgotten Occupation, which considers the history surrounding the 1915 American occupation of Haiti, ending in 1934. Learn more about the process, what he hopes we can draw from this work and more by checking out the article.
“In the three years before the US Occupation, Haiti had seven different presidents. So talk of a US Occupation was welcomed, for they saw it as the only way out. And honestly, they can be forgiven for this. We have to remember these were the days of the ascension of the American Empire. Immigrants were flocking to it by the millions. Stories of poor people becoming rich overnight in America abounded.
Furthermore, this was also the beginning of a 20th century that was washing the world with so much technological marvel. The radio. The telephone. Film. The airplane. The automobile. And the United States was at the forefront of all that.” (Source: Woy Magazine)