During a police operation in the Village de Dieu, a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince controlled by the "5 segonn (5 seconds)" gang, on March 13, 2021, four police officers were killed. Despite the promises of the Prime minister and the Director General of the police, their bodies were never recovered

The National Haitian Elected Officials Network’s (NHAEON) annual retreat last weekend. Haitian Americans from across the country came together to celebrate, learn and discuss issues of importance to the diaspora.  One of those issues is the unprecedented, multidimensional – and existential – crisis in Haiti.

Imagine a world where the Haitian diaspora, united and organized, wields significant influence on US policies towards Haiti. a world where our voices are heard loud and clear, shaping the future of our homeland for the betterment of all Haitians. This is not just a pipe dream; it is a possibility within our reach. But it will only happen if we come together, pool our resources, and work towards a common goal.

The news of the assassination of businessman and former presidential candidate, Eric Jean Baptiste reverberated like an electric shock through Haiti and abroad. Mr. Jean-Baptiste was a philanthropist and the leader of the political party Rally of Progressive National Democrats (RNDP).

Haiti is in a state of siege and sinking deeper into the abyss of despair. Gangs have taken control of large portions of its capital, Port-au-Prince. They continue to expand their capacity to other cities. And, like a boa constrictor, they are tightening and squeezing their prey's life. The population is running out of water, food, fuel, and medicine. The schools have not been able to open and businesses are closing their doors.

The word democracy finds its roots in Ancient Greek, which starts with dēmos 'people' and Kratos 'rule.' Some of democracy's prerequisites include the guarantees of the rule of law, social justice, and free and fair elections. For democracy to take hold, the people must see its value and be willing to fight and die for it – in theory, and practice. The fight for democracy is a waste of time and resources if those prerequisites are absent.

As Haiti experiences another political convulsion, the country continues to fall further backward. Amid the political crisis, businesses are shutting down or barely functioning. Schools are unable to open their doors and hospitals cannot function as their fuel supplies get exhausted. For Haitians, their dreams and aspirations are being snuffed out. Those with the financial means are leaving the country in droves.

War is one of the most brutal acts undertaken by humans and yet even in wars, there are rules. Similarly, society has laws to protect the rights of all citizens – even those who have committed crimes - even heinous ones.  One of the basic concepts that supports the rule of law is due process. This concept is not simply to protect the rights of one who breaks the law but more importantly protect the rights of the innocent.

This morning, the NY Times published a well-researched piece titled "The Root of Haiti's Misery: Reparations to Enslavers." I have to say right from the start that this piece seems to be well-researched and presents a scathing analysis of the central role the consecutive debts, or more appropriately France's extortion played in making Haiti the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere.

In a recent NY Times article about the end of Angela Merkel’ 16 years as chancellor, three words in her final message stood out: Trust one another.  In her speech, Mrs. Merkel emphasized that “Democracy, depends on solidarity and trust, including the trust in facts.”

As the discussions are evolving on finding a solution to Haiti’s multi-faceted crises, a few voices have risen to question the legitimacy of the process that the “Commission pour la recherche d’une solution haitienne a la crise - CRSC (the Commission to find a Haitian Solution to the Crisis). These voices are also questioning the process that resulted in the diaspora representation in the “Conseil National de Transition – CNT (National Transitional Council).”

As Haiti faces the most challenging time since existence as a nation, this publication is timely as it provides different analytical context to Haiti's current challenges. In our piece, Regine and I looked very specifically at the rule of law.

As a Haitian-American, I condemn President Trump’s reprehensible comments on Fox news, October 7th. Mr. Trump falsely claimed that hundreds of thousands of Haitians immigrants were entering the United States and that many were bringing HIV/AIDS.

The headlines over the past few days have been inundated by Haiti’s public prosecutor (commissaire de gouvernement) requests to interview de facto PM, Ariel Henry.

I was on a call the other day when someone said that Red Cross (RC) raised nearly $500 million after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and built only five (5) homes. Another participant on the call, a doctor who works in the development sector, added that Senator Grassley's investigation revealed that Red Cross used 80% of the 2010 of the earthquake fund for its own internal management needs.