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Haitian authorities declared a nationwide state of emergency Wednesday, September 4, 2024 as violent gangs expanded their grip from the capital, Port-au-Prince, to other parts of the country.
This decision comes just ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is set to meet with Prime Minister Garry Conille to discuss Haiti’s troubled democratic transition.
Prime Minister Conille, who has been in office for three months, has been working to restore order amid escalating violence that has forced nearly 580,000 people from their homes. The United Nations has reported that around five million Haitians now face severe hunger due to the ongoing conflict.
Blinken’s visit takes place as more than a million residents of Port-au-Prince remain without electricity. Earlier this week, protesters stormed and vandalized a power plant, demanding an end to frequent power outages. The state electricity company reported that the incident occurred on Monday when demonstrators attacked the facility after days of intermittent power cuts.
The United States, the largest contributor to a UN-backed security mission, is heavily invested in efforts to curb the violence. In a chilling episode in March, armed gangs stormed Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing around 3,700 inmates. The Ouest Department, which includes Port-au-Prince, was initially placed under a state of emergency on March 3, following a surge in violence.
In response to the crisis, the first group of 400 Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti in June and July. They represent the initial wave of a UN-approved international force that will ultimately consist of 2,500 officers from multiple countries, all dedicated to quelling the gang violence that has plunged the Caribbean nation into chaos.
As the Haitian government fights to regain control and restore peace, Blinken’s visit signals a renewed international focus on the country’s fragile state and the steps needed to steer it toward stability.
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