The newly appointed United States Ambassador to Haiti, Henry Wooster, says his high precedence is to deal with the deepening safety disaster plaguing the French-speaking Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) member state, the place felony gangs have tightened their grip on energy.
– Commercial –
In a video message launched by the U.S. Embassy, Wooster—who beforehand served in Haiti between 1998 and 2000—expressed his dedication to supporting the Haitian folks throughout what he described as a “essential time” for the nation.
“I’ll work with the Haitian folks to strengthen the connection between our two international locations and deal with the advanced challenges we face,” he stated. “In these unprecedented instances, our precedence is to deal with the safety scenario.”
Wooster denounced the continuing violence, noting that for too lengthy, armed gangs have used brutality to terrorize the nation for private acquire. “This comes on the expense of bizarre Haitians,” he stated.
Because the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has descended additional into lawlessness. The United Nations stories that 85 p.c of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is now beneath gang management. Violence has since unfold past the capital into the Artibonite and Centre Departments, displacing over 239,000 folks from these areas alone. In complete, greater than 1.3 million Haitians have been displaced by the violence—marking the most important politically pushed displacement within the nation’s fashionable historical past.
The U.N. has warned of escalating meals insecurity, stating that Haiti is one in all simply 5 international locations globally dealing with famine-like situations.
Ambassador Wooster emphasised that the U.S., in coordination with the worldwide neighborhood, would help efforts to stabilize the nation, together with strengthening the Haitian Nationwide Police and backing the Kenya-led Multinational Safety Assist (MSS) Mission. The U.N. Safety Council not too long ago prolonged the MSS mandate to October 2, 2025, with the political framework set to stay in impact till January 2026.
“I need to hear your voices, your concepts and your hopes for the long run,” Wooster stated, pledging collaboration with Haitians to rebuild a safer, safer nation. “We imagine in Haiti’s potential.”
