Nichols travels to Haiti at a “crucial moment” for the Caribbean country

The Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, travels to Haiti on Wednesday on a two-day visit to assess the situation in the Caribbean country, which is experiencing “a crucial moment”, plunged into a humanitarian crisis for which it has asked the international community for help.

“My trip to Haiti comes at a crucial time, as Haitians face a growing cholera outbreakblockade of ports by gangs and a fuel crisis, which worsens the humanitarian and security situation”, he pointed Nicholas on Twitter.

According to a release of the Department of State, Nichols will travel to Port-au-Prince with advisers and officials from the Secretary of Defense and the anti-narcotics and security offices, along with whom he will meet with the Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, and community leaders.

Given the request for assistance from the Haitian government, the official US delegation “will evaluate how the US government can continue to offer various forms of assistance and promote the accountability of those responsible for criminal acts” in the nation, the State Department reported. .

In a “further show of resolution and support for the people of Haiti,” the Administration of President Joe Biden announced that it will send a Coast Guard vessel to patrol the coast of Port-au-Prince.

“The US continues to deliver aid to Haitians. In response to the growing needs in Haiti since 2021, more than $171 million in vital humanitarian assistance and early recovery, risk reduction and resilience programs have been provided,” remembered Nichols in a tweet.

Last Friday, the Haitian government authorized Prime Minister Henry request the immediate dispatch of an international force specialist to help combat the violence unleashed by a wave of protests and violence that make it difficult for medical assistance to arrive in the face of the current outbreak of cholera in that country.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that the US is reviewing the application and reaffirmed the commitment of the Biden Administration to security in Haiti, although he avoided commenting on a possible deployment of troops.

imminent sanctions

Also on Wednesday, it has become known that the United States will withdraw the visas of current and former Haitian officials linked to criminal organizations, and will provide humanitarian and security assistance to Haiti.

The officials, who spoke by phone on condition of anonymity, declined to reveal how many or which Haitian officials would lose their visas, saying only that the measure also covers family members. They also indicated that the US government is working with Mexico on a UN resolution to propose sanctions and additional measures in the face of the numerous challenges facing Haiti.

[Con información de AP]

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