Pont-Sondé Massacre: A Defining Moment for Haiti’s Survival

The recent massacre in Pont-Sondé has left me heartbroken—not only because of its brutality but because it is our people committing these atrocities, not foreign invaders. This violence, combined with the abuse Haitians face in the Dominican Republic, discriminatory treatment in the Bahamas, and the escalating vitriol fueled by Donald Trump’s unrelenting lies, feels overwhelming. It’s easy to believe there is a global conspiracy against Haiti and its people.

Yet, if we accept that a conspiracy exists, then the question becomes: what should we, as Haitians, do about it? I believe the true conspiracy we face is one of complacency, rooted in a culture of exclusion, corruption, and impunity. While it's easy to point fingers at the international community, any honest citizen must recognize that Haitian leaders—yes, with international support—have allowed and benefited from the cycles of neglect. Our economic and political leaders' self-interest has left the majority of our people vulnerable. This has led not only to internal chaos but also to the mistreatment of Haitians abroad, as the world looks at us through the lens of our disunity and inaction.

Regardless of the international community's influence - and maybe because of it, the way forward requires Haitian solidarity and self-responsibility. We must unite and fight to make Haiti a safe place for all of its citizens. We need the will to hold our leaders accountable and the strength to build a nation of dignity and security for ourselves.

A Historical Call for Dignity and Unity

Jean-Jacques Dessalines, in his Declaration of Independence, said the following: “We have dared to be free, let us be thus by ourselves and for ourselves.” His words remind us to uphold our dignity and ensure that Haiti remains a safe haven for its people—a refuge in a world where Haitians face persecution in so many places.

Time and again, our leaders have chosen themselves over the nation

As a student of history and international relations, I cannot ignore the role Haitian leaders have played in prioritizing their self-interest over the needs of the people. I understand the power of foreign interference, but I also see how, time and again, our leaders have put their personal interests over that of the nation. The massacre in Pont-Sondé is just the latest example in a long history of horrors Haitian leaders allowed to happen—either through incompetence or willful neglect.

The gangs in Artibonite announced their plans to take the region, and they succeeded, killing at least 70 and forcing over 6,000 to flee. It’s a familiar story in Haiti: from the Fignolists massacre in 1957, to the massacre of peasants in Mapou in 1964, to the St. Jean Bosco massacre in 1988, and Raboteau in 1994, the brutality continues. More recently, the La Saline massacre in 2018 and the Bel Air massacre in 2021 foreshadowed the gang clashes in Plaine du Cul-de-Sac in 2022 and now in Pont-Sondé.

These tragedies are not isolated events. They are part of a historical pattern of Haitians turning on each other while leadership looks the other way or profits from the chaos. We have seen this play out for decades, yet we focus on denouncing the international community instead of looking inward to find solutions.

We cannot afford to be passive or divided.

Dessalines also issued a fierce warning, urging swift action to avenge the victims of oppression. In his speech, he said: “Instead of these dear victims, your alarmed gaze will see only their assassins, these tigers still dripping with their blood, whose terrible presence indicts your lack of feeling and your guilty slowness in avenging them.”

Although he was talking about the French at that time, today, we stand at a similar crossroads facing tigers of our making dripping with the blood of the innocent. There is no better way to say this but we cannot afford to be passive or divided. We must hold our leaders accountable and, as citizens, be willing to make sacrifices for the future of our country.

Misaligned Priorities: Security Funding and Diaspora Engagement

Haitian society is on the brink, yet the government’s actions fail to reflect the urgency of the threat. While we are begging for funds to pay Kenyan officers, the state grossly underfunds its own security forces and underpays Haitian officers. For the fiscal year 2024-2025, the Police Nationale d'Haïti (PNH) is allocated just 9.27% of the national budget, or 29.98 billion gourdes (approximately $227.12 million U.S.), while the Forces Armées d'Haïti receive only 2.16%, or 6.98 billion gourdes (approximately $52.88 million U.S.). These figures are alarmingly low for a country facing an existential crisis.

Instead of prioritizing the police and military, the government announced that it was earmarking billions for various subsidies and infrastructure projects—initiatives that, while important, are meaningless if the country remains unsafe.

The Haitian government must engage the diaspora to contribute directly to security efforts.

Those on the ground in Haiti are on the front lines, but we in the diaspora must be the body of the spear. That’s why, in my article “Mw Se Chanjman An – I Am the Change,” I proposed the creation of a "Haiti Security Fund." I called on the Haitian government to engage the diaspora and leverage existing mechanisms for us to contribute directly to security efforts. Unfortunately, instead of taking meaningful steps toward solving our security crisis, they held a day-long conference on diaspora investment in Haiti—a missed opportunity to address the urgent national security issue.

In “A five-point inclusive plan for sustainable security and stability in Haiti” I wrote that “When discussing Haiti, we often forget that Haitians must take action to resolve the country’s crises, even though the international community has a history of interfering in its domestic affairs. As Haitians, we must recognize our responsibility to lead the charge in finding solutions. This is especially important for those of us in the diaspora, who have a unique role to play." I also laid out a three-tiered security framework, which included reinforcing elite units, engaging in community policing with international support, and nationalizing private security.

If we measured every ministry by its success, then no ministry in Haiti would exist.

This is also why I have long supported the idea of keeping and reinforcing the Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE). Despite its critics, I believe MHAVE is a crucial channel for engaging the diaspora. Many colleagues have disagreed, arguing that the ministry has been ineffective. My response is always the same: if we measured every ministry by its success, then no ministry in Haiti should exist.

For example, MHAVE’s budget for 2024-2025 is only 0.08% of the national budget—268.59 million gourdes. Of that, 42.64% (114.53 million gourdes) is allocated to the office of a minister that technically no longer exists. How can we expect any ministry to be effective when it is starved of resources from the start? This ministry was the official link for the sector that keeps the country afloat with remittance transfers totaling $3.4 billion in 2023. To put this number in context, the government's recent budget is $2.5 billion for fiscal year 2024.

Reclaiming Our Future

Despite often being a dissenting voice, I believe the massacre in Pont-Sondé should compel us to set aside our differences. Haiti’s survival depends on strategic defense, smart diplomacy, and especially, self-reliance. As I wrote in “The Haitian Paradox: Facing Threats with Misaligned Priorities,” "If Haiti is truly under threat, we must act accordingly. This requires abandoning soothing propaganda, facing reality, and investing significantly in our security and institutions. We cannot expect other nations to save us, nor will denouncing them alter their strategies."

As Carter G. Woodson famously said, "History shows that it does not matter who is in power or what revolutionary forces take over the government, those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning."

This most recent massacre is a tragedy, and the moment requires that those who claim to be leaders in our community—both in Haiti and the diaspora—must step up and demonstrate genuine leadership. It is not enough to merely occupy the spotlight or hold a title; now is the time for decisive action, for uniting fractured groups, and for guiding our community toward a collective effort to confront the crisis.

Let us heed Dessalines’ call and work together to make Haiti the safe haven our ancestors envisioned—a place where Haitians can thrive, free from both external and internal threats. Only through unity, accountability, and decisive action can we overcome the challenges threatening to tear our beloved Haiti apart.