CARICOM Group of Eminent Persons concludes visit to Haiti

Georgetown, Guyana, CMC – The three-member CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG) concluded a six-day visit to Haiti with a warning that Haiti needs to return to the spirit of the agreement reached on March 11 in Jamaica.

The EPG statement said the visit enabled the group to brief CARICOM leaders and engage in an exchange of views and dialogue with representatives of various sectors of Haitian society, including the bipartisan executive, the Director of the Haitian National Police, and leaders of political parties not serving in the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) or the Government.

The team, which included former Prime Ministers of Saint Lucia, Jamaica and the Bahamas, Dr. Kenny Anthony, Bruce Golding and Perry Christie, also met with representatives of Haiti’s key international partners, namely Canada, France and the United States.

It also met with the United Nations Office in Haiti (BINUH), Organization of American Statesand the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM) Force Commander.

“The visits to the TPC and the Prime Minister helped to understand the overall situation, their activities and plans, and the issues of their concern,” the statement said, adding that the EPG was encouraged that the TPC appeared to be working to overcome delays in establishing some of the key institutions and entities required by the April 3 Agreement.

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These include Provisional Electoral Councilthe Government Conduct Watchdog, the National Security Council, and the National Conference.

“Issues of estrangement between some departments and council representatives and the friction that has arisen were raised. The EPG also discussed the unrest among stakeholders resulting from the non-publication of the April 3 agreement, the absence of key proposed bodies, the inaction of the council and the negative impact on the council of the council’s inaction in response to allegations of corruption by three of its members.”

The statement said a major concern expressed by both governance bodies was the difficulties faced by Haitian and Kenyan police in addressing security issues.

“This remains the primary expectation of the Haitian people. There is widespread concern that the Kenyan military is undermanned, underequipped and therefore lacks the capacity to hold recovered territory. The need to adequately fund the Kenyan security forces is stressed to address these equipment and personnel shortfalls at the earliest.”

The statement said Prime Minister Gary Cornell was acutely aware that the window of opportunity would not last long and the people of the country were looking forward to achieving this goal. “He made it clear that the lack of resources and the collapse of state institutions were hindering factors, but efforts were being made to address the key socio-economic and humanitarian issues plaguing the population.”

“The Prime Minister stressed that unless security issues are addressed, progress in other key areas of government action is likely to be compromised,” the security officials said in a statement.

The report states that in meetings with numerous civil society representatives and political parties not represented in the TPC and the government, there was a general consensus that the TPC needed to be reset and restructured.

“There was unanimity on the concerns and issues raised – the inability of the state to improve the security situation; frustration that the Kenyan military presence has not had an impact; the erosion of public confidence in the TPC, exacerbated by corruption scandals and strong demands for the withdrawal of three commissioners; and growing fears that the transition process will not be completed by the February 2026 deadline for electing a president, due to delays seen as inaction.”

The statement said representatives of political parties not affiliated with the TPC “condemn the non-inclusive nature of the Council of Ministers and the monetary and other benefits that political parties represented in the Council through their designated ministers may enjoy before the elections.

“Delays in establishing key institutions, the need to achieve key objectives more effectively within the time frame, and the corrosive impact of allegations of corruption have contributed to the fragility of the transition process.

The statement added: “Allegations of corruption come at an inopportune time and need to be addressed swiftly to preserve the integrity of institutions and public confidence in the transition process.”

In this regard, investigations by anti-corruption investigation agencies are crucial.

“We need to return to the spirit of the agreement reached in Jamaica on March 11, 2024, which was built on inclusivity, consensus and accountability,” EPG members warned.