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 soulye ki konn si chosèt gen twou
Only the shoe knows if the sock has holes
(Haitian Proverb)
CHAY LA | BIG STORY
Intervention looming
On January 26th, after the killing of 15 police officers in the last two weeks, members of the police force rioted in Port-au-Prince and protested across the country, reproaching the government for not having a security plan. They showed up at Prime Minister Ariel Henry's residence who was not present at the time. He was on his way back from a trip to Argentina and was trapped in the airport upon arrival because of a group of angry police officers waiting for him at the entrance. He was eventually able to leave the airport.
View the crumbling national police force, calls for foreign military help from the government have persisted. While the United States and Canada have backed away from leading an intervention, El Salvador and Jamaica have announced that they are inclined to do so.
In El Salvador, a vicious response to the MS-13 gang has been rolled out, arresting 60,000 people last year, using a temporary “state of of exception” which has been renewed 9 times. Such measures has led to the indiscriminate arrest of people who are not gang members.
Several human rights organizations have condemned these efforts which doesn’t bode well for any support that Haiti might receive from El Salvador. If mass incarceration is what El Salvador is offering as a solution to Haiti, then we’re in trouble.
“Almost all of those detained have been gang members, the government alleges, despite widespread reports that arbitrary arrests have swept up scores of ordinary Salvadorans. […]
Bukele has so far shrugged off accusations of human rights abuses, and the immense popularity of his anti-gang campaign means he is unlikely to scale back any time soon. […]
The mass arrests, for instance, have flooded El Salvador’s jails, which were already operating above capacity before the crackdown began. The country’s prison population has leapt from around 40,000 in mid-2021 to potentially over 95,000 nine months into the state of exception. […]
The mass incarceration campaign has particularly targeted El Salvador’s most marginalized communities, ironically funneling more potential recruits into the gang’s arms and undermining the initiative’s legitimacy. Teenagers on the fringes of gang life and former gang members -- some having made painful efforts to leave the MS13 and Barrio 18 -- have found themselves in jail, where they may need the gangs’ help to survive.” (Source: InSight Crime)
What do Haitians think about the Haitian National Police (PNH) and how the insecurity issue should be resolved? One Haitian organization called L’Alliance pour la Gestion des Risques et la Continuité des Activités (AGERCA) commissioned an opinion poll and held a live debate during which the findings of the survey were presented. The poll finds, 71% of respondents don't think PNH can restore security and 74% of respondents don't think PNH can resolve the gang issue. These two findings are not surprising. Beyond the issue of the PNH being poorly funded and being ill-equipped, the insecurity and gang violence is a governance problem. This is a result of choices made by politicians and business people to arm people in poor neighborhoods for political gain.
»» #WoyRewind: "Fellow Haitians, Haitian history is not a choice you made, it is a heritage. You have a responsibility to protect it. There is nothing that’s happening in 2021 that isn’t connected to what happened at Bwa Kayiman in August 1791. There is nothing happening in Haiti today that isn’t connected to the white supremacist thought that a group of “inferior” people should never be allowed to prove them wrong. Imperialist nations who built their fortunes from colonization will never accept the victory we had over the murderous French army in 1803 at Vertières. If you are a Haitian that knows your history and accepts the responsibility of protecting the heritage of our ancestors, you have the responsibility to act in the spirit of these ancestors to always walk with your head high and fight against all forms of oppression." - Etant Dupain, "Who are we asking to #Freehaiti?"
Politik/Polemik
The Assassination of Jovenel Moïse
Though the investigation in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse has stalled in Haiti, four suspects have been transferred to the US to stand trial. The four men, including Christian Sanon, James Solages, Joseph Vincent and Germàn Alejandro Rivera were transferred to Florida bringing the total of suspects in US custody to seven. Christian Sanon is charged with having smuggled bullet-proof vests into Haiti to be used in the plot, and the others were charged with conspiracy to murder.
Haiti's police chief at the time of President Moise's killing also said that Mr Sanon was the first person one of the assailants called as police surrounded them after the murder.
In a statement, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said that while Mr Sanon had not been charged with conspiracy to murder, he "participated in crimes that culminated in the assassination of the Haitian president".
According to the DoJ, James Solages, Joseph Vincent and Germán Rivera had originally planned to kidnap President Moise and take him to an unknown location while a new president was installed in his stead.
But when they failed to get a plane to take the Mr Moise away, they allegedly changed their plan. (Source: BBC)
Imigrasyon
Humanitarian Parole update
Twenty states are challenging Biden’s new Humanitarian Parole program filing a lawsuit in Texas. The lawsuit claims that the program violates federal immigration law, and that it is allowing people into the US who otherwise would not be eligible for entry.
Since its implementation 2,000 Haitians have already been approved under the program to move to the US.
Among the states involved in the suit are Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and Ohio. Other key actors include Texas General Attorney Ken Paxton, and a conservative group called America First Legal, a group founded by Stephen Miller, a former top aid of Trump’s.
“Paxton, a Republican, in a statement said the Biden administration's immigration policies had created a humanitarian crisis that has overwhelmed states and local communities.
“This unlawful amnesty program, which will invite hundreds of thousands of aliens into the U.S. every year, will only make this immigration crisis drastically worse," Paxton said.” (Source: Reuters)
KILTIRÈL
All that Jazz and Kanaval
Pre-carnival celebrations have begun drawing huge crowds every Sunday for the pre carnival festivities. Celebrations did leave way for the protesting police, where the first Sunday of the festivities saw larger crowds than the second event.
PAPJAZZ, the International Jazz Festival of Port-au-Prince, also made its way to Okap for the 16th edition of the festival. After cancelling last year’s edition of the festival because of the political instability, the organizers moved the event to north of the country where security is stable. Have a listen to an interview with participants and members of the group Jazzy Stars 262 for a taste on KOZE KILTI from RFI.
»» #Woy Rewind: Learn about the economics of Carnival and the potential it holds in this article written for Woy Magazine on How Carnival Can Better Benefit Haiti’s Economy.
DEGI | Recommendations before you go
Major textile factory in Haiti to close plant, lay off 3,500 | AP
Black Crown, New book by Paul Clammer on Henri Christophe
Jacques Stephen Alexis, écrivain humaniste haïtien [Encre Noire et Page Blanche] | TV5
Premier sommet de psychologie: l’AHPSY met le cap sur la paix durable Woo-Jerry Mathurin for Loop
Lanmou Jah ak Jahes. Mwen felisite nou pou ou lot edisyon magazin nan. Men, eske nou vreman kwe ke se moun yo arete yo ki tiye Jovenel Moise? Mwen pa kwe sa ditou! Tan pro, fe bon jounalis, pa ekri sa ki pa verite. Se nan betiz moun sa yo ap fe nou la a. Mwen ta renmen we nou fe ou bon envestigasyon sou sityasyon an. Lanmou Beni.#Ayiti #1804 #ToutMounseMoun #HousingfortheHomelessNow #AbolishCPS #DefundFosterCare #ProChoice #RawVeganforLife