Haitian Group seeks CARICOM intervention amid efforts to remove prime minister

CMC:

The National Conference of Actors for New Governance (NCANG) in Haiti has written to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General, Dr Carla Barnett, seeking the intervention of the 15-member regional grouping in “the immediate creation of the mediation and transfer of power committee” amid efforts to remove Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé within 30 days.

The NCANG, in its January 23 letter to Barnett, a copy of which has been obtained by the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), said that together with several Haitian civil society organisations, they wanted to alert CARICOM “of the gravity of the national crisis and the rapid deterioration of the political and social situation” in the French-speaking CARICOM member state.

“ With the expiration of the mandate of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) approaching on February 7th, 2026, it has become imperative to establish a Mediation Committee. This committee must serve as an impartial and inclusive framework to initiate negotiations among Haiti’s various stakeholders, with the goal of reaching consensus on the new governmental structure that will replace the CPT,” the letter noted.

Earlier this month, the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group had warned that it is “vital that stakeholders, civil society, and the people of Haiti reach a consensus before 7 February 2026,” adding that “a failure to do so could lead to unwanted repercussions”.

The EPG, comprising the former prime ministers of St Lucia, Jamaica, and The Bahamas, said time is, therefore, of the essence and that it has continued to render its good offices to Haitian stakeholders as they address “the myriad political, security, and institutional challenges facing Haiti at this time”.

Haiti has been without an elected head of state since July 2021, when President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his private residence overlooking the capital, Port-au-Prince. Since then, criminal gangs have been seeking to overthrow the provisional government and have taken control of a vast section of the capital.

United States warnings

The mandate of the CPT ends on February 7 in accordance with the provisions of the agreement of April 3, 2024.

Last week, a resolution for Fils-Aimé’s dismissal had the support of five members of the CPT before adviser Smith Augustin finally reversed his decision and refused to sign.

In a correspondence addressed to the members of the council, President Pro temper and Coordinator of the CPT Laurent Saint-Cyr said he was opposed to any resolution aimed at calling into question governmental stability ahead of February 7, when the council is provisionally scheduled to step down.

However, on Friday, two CPT members, Leslie Voltaire and Edgard Leblanc Fils, told a news conference that they intend to proceed with a plan to remove Fils-Aimé within 30 days following established procedures despite United States warnings that such a move would have consequences.

“We are the ones who appointed Didier Fils-Aimé in November 2024. We are the ones who worked with him for a year, and it is up to us to issue a new decree naming a new prime minister, a new government, and a new presidency,” Voltaire told reporters.

The CPT was appointed in 2024 to oversee a move towards Haiti’s first election in a decade, but this has been repeatedly pushed back due to a collapse in security amid a bloody conflict with powerful, heavily armed gangs.

Fils-Aimé, speaking at a police event in Port-au-Prince on Friday, warned that neither “criminals wearing ties nor criminals wearing flip flops” would dictate the law and warned that anyone who stood against the police or the State would face a firm response “without weakness, without compromise”.

The US chargé d’affaires, Henry Wooster, who was also at the police event, said it was “essential” that Fils-Aimé stay on to safeguard the fight against gangs.

Last Thursday, Washington warned the CPT against making changes to the troubled country’s government .

In a statement posted on X, the US Embassy here wrote that “the United States would consider that any person who supports such a destabilising initiative, which favours the gangs, would be acting against the interests of the US, the region, and the Haitian people and will take appropriate measures accordingly.”

‘A steep cost’

On Friday, a US spokesman said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone with Fils-Aimé during which time he emphasised the importance of the prime minister remaining in his post to ensure stability.

He also insisted on the CPT’s dissolution by the end of its mandate, threatening “a steep cost” for politicians deemed to be corrupt.

However, Voltaire told reporters that there would be a “pause” to allow Haiti’s political groups to come up with an acceptable solution for the succession and that the council would decide on a governance structure if no consensus was reached.

Both Voltaire and Leblanc Fils dismissed the comments by the US as disrespectful to the country’s sovereignty.

In their letter to CARICOM, the NCANG said that they “respectfully request CARICOM’s active support to encourage the participation of all components of Haitian society, including the diaspora, human rights organisations, and women’s groups, to ensure the legitimacy and transparency of the process so that the decisions are accepted by both the national and international community”.

NCANG added: “The seriousness of the crisis and the short timeframe demand immediate action. Without a strong mediation framework supported by regional partners such as CARICOM, there is a significant risk of escalating tensions and jeopardizing the transition toward renewed governance.

‘We, therefore, ask you to consider this request with the utmost urgency and to accompany us in this historic process for Haiti’s stability and peace.”

Meanwhile, Amos André, president of the National Congress for the New Haiti, is urging the creation of a joint mediation and transfer of power commission to resolve the current crisis.

In a statement sent to various stakeholders, André said he hopes the stakeholders would accept the invitation and that the proposed commission could be composed of five or seven members.

“Given the gravity of the situation and the urgency of the moment, we reiterate our appeal to the moral, spiritual, and patriotic forces of the country to commit themselves so that this mediation produces the expected results and that the transfer … . We also ask our international partners and friends to assist us in this endeavour so that Haiti may regain security, stability, and the path to collective progress,” André said.