Episode description

In recent weeks, vigilante groups in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince have beaten and burned to death gang members. The country has been plunged into increasing lawlessness following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021. Haiti has been led by Prime Minister Ariel Henry for almost two years, but he has failed to rein in the gang violence. One former US envoy to Haiti says the Biden administration has ‘betrayed’ Haitians by turning its back on the country and not pushing for democratic elections. Other have called for an intervention by foreign forces to tackle the gang violence. But is deploying international forces the answer? Should there be a Haitian-led solution? What needs to happen to prevent Haiti from complete collapse?

Shaun Ley is joined by:

Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald

Robert Fatton, Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia

Pamela White, former US Ambassador to Haiti under President Obama

Also featuring:

Dave Fils-Aimé, Founder & Executive Director of the nonprofit organisation Baskètbòl pou Ankadre Lajenès in Port-au-Prince

Daniel Foote, former US special envoy for Haiti from July 2021 - September 2021

Image: Police patrol the streets after gang members tried to attack a police station in Port-au-Prince on April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

Produced by Imogen Wallace and Ellen Otzen