Haitian leader seeks foreign armed forces to calm chaos

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haiti’s government is requesting the help of international troops as gangs and protesters paralyze the country and supplies of water, fuel and basic goods dwindle.

A document signed by Prime Minister Ariel Henry and 18 top-ranking officials declares they are alarmed by “the risk of a major humanitarian crisis” that is threatening the life of many people.

It authorizes Henry to request from international partners “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity,” to stop the crisis across the country caused partly by the “criminal actions of armed gangs.”

It wasn’t clear whether the request would mean the activation of United Nations peacekeeping troops, whose mission ended five years ago after a troubled 11 years in Haiti.

On Friday, the U.S. Embassy warned that “U.S. citizens should depart Haiti now in light of the current health and security situation and infrastructure challenges.” It also authorized the temporary departure of government personnel and their families.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said the U.S. is considering a request for a humanitarian corridor to restore the distribution of fuel within Haiti and coordinating with Haiti’s prime minister and other international partners to determine how best to provide additional support.

Patel would not address the issue of where the troops to enforce the corridor might come from, saying that consideration was still in an early stage.

Haiti’s National Police has struggled to control gangs with its limited resources and chronic understaffing, with only 12,800 officers for a country of more than 11 million. The gangs have only grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.