Front Burner - ‘A slow death': Haitians face mounting crisis

Episode Date: October 27, 2022

After three years without cases, cholera is spreading through Haiti’s poorest neighbourhoods as they struggle for access to clean water. At the same time, nearly five million Haitians are facing acute hunger. Gangs have seized the majority of Haiti’s capital, a critical fuel terminal, and the nation’s politics remain unstable after the assassination of the president in July last year. It’s these compounding crises that have led the unpopular current government to call for international intervention from the US, Canada and the UN – a controversial move in a country with a long history of foreign meddling. Today on Front Burner, independent Haitian journalist Harold Isaac explains how citizens are enduring yet another desperate situation, and why they’re starting to feel like they’re on their own.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Jamie Poisson. Haiti is at a breaking point again. Cholera is spreading in the country's poorest neighborhoods after three years of no cases.

Nearly five million Haitians are facing acute hunger, leaving them even more susceptible to the disease. This outbreak is just the latest in a series of compounding crises in Haiti, which has led Haiti's unpopular government to call for foreign intervention from the U.S., Canada and the United Nations. The hope is that these nations can help take back power, as well as control of the country's largest oil terminal, from gangs that have gripped the very areas most affected by hunger and lack of clean water. Terrible events are taking place every day. Human lives are being lost. There are kidnappings, public and private property being destroyed.

There are rapes, theft, looting, threats and intimidation. And this plunges the country further into chaos, with extremely serious consequences for everyone. At the same time, protests have erupted with citizens advocating for the very opposite of intervention, the freedom to determine the fate of their own country. No to the Canadians. of their own country. No to the Canadians. No to the Americans. You are monsters. You don't have solutions. You are chaos. You are behind the gangsterization of crime. You are giving arms to our brothers and those who are in underprivileged neighborhoods. To unpack the internal struggles and desperate situation Haiti is facing,

Harold Isaac joins us. He's an independent journalist from Haiti. Harold, hi. Thank you so much for coming on to FrontBurner. Hi, Jamie. Thanks for having me. I wonder if we could start, if you could just give me a sense of what things are like for you at this moment. Well, it's been a surreal kind of reality over the last seven weeks. The country is completely suspended. is completely suspended. It's been kind of a very weird ambience where, you know, literally no traffic. Port-au-Prince was known for crazy traffic. There's zero traffic. Businesses are closed. Banks are open every two days. And you basically just venture out to

resupply and come back home and kind of hunker down. So it's a very surreal experience, you know, for folks here. Mind you, we've been there a few times before, but never to that extent and never to that gravity. And I understand that it may be difficult to pinpoint, but in your view, what's the catalyst for the situation currently unfolding in your country? How did this all start to unravel? Well, in this cycle right now, the one we're going through, it started on September 11th when the prime minister announced that he would remove the subsidies on oil products in the country because the government could not afford to support it anymore. That triggered widespread protests with violent barricades throughout the country. Port-au-Prince transformed into a battleground between security forces and demonstrators.

The Haiti's UN envoy says it's now transformed into a humanitarian catastrophe. We are here because of the misery, because of the hunger we are enduring. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has no dignity. He cannot rule the country. And we've essentially been blocked ever since because gangs have dug trenches in front of the main oil terminal that hosts about 70% of oil products in the country. And they're asking for the resignation of the caretaker government, the interim government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Everything ground to a

halt as a result of that, because oil is transversal. So besides protests, besides barricades, this is probably the worst aspect of the current crisis we're going through. And you mentioned violence and protests across the country. And just take me through that a little bit more. Am I correct to say that this goes back even further than some seven weeks ago, maybe even a couple of years? Yeah. So what we're experiencing here in Haiti is called pay lock. That means lockdown country. That's what it means in Creole. So the first one of such lockdowns that we've experienced was back in July 6th, 7th, 2018, when the government had initially, you know, the first time they announced that they'd be touching on the subsidies. The outrage was immediate.

Fires set, roads blocked. Protesters say they can't afford Haiti's new fuel prices. With the hike, a liter of diesel will now cost $4, nearly $5 for regular gas. In a country where about 80% of workers earn less than $2 a day, the news wasn't received well. And since that date, things have started to gradually and more seriously aggravating with gangs starting to take over national roads. At least, you know, three of the main national roads that are coming to Port-au-Prince are cut off. So when you are in the capital, you are all but secluded from the rest of the country. And this grip has been growing

and growing ever since to the point that now we're virtually just allowed to venture and resupply and come back because we're surrounded by gang lands for the most part. The other event that I wanted to touch on with you would be the assassination of the former president, Jovenel Moise, right? And how did his assassination contribute to where Haiti is now? Yes. Yes. So he was already himself embroiled in controversies because his own term had expired at least officially on February 7th of 2021. His legitimacy was questioned, and some folks in various segments of the society took initiatives towards him. But one of such initiatives turned out to be an attempt, a coup of sorts, when these folks who happened to be involved in some sort of a 6th, 7th, 2021, when a commando composed, among others, of, reportedly yelled they were DEA agents.

But the Haitian government says they were instead mercenaries, highly trained killers who shot dead the 53-year-old Moise and critically wounded his wife. And as such, the country has been in this tailspin ever since because of a vacuum of power, because all the branches of government in Haiti are all but dysfunctional. I mean, the judiciary, the legislative branches, and the executive are all dysfunctional right now. But in our current state, the president had tapped two days before his death, Premier Ariel Henry, who was supposed to be swearing by him, And that did not even happen because, you know, essentially the president died, you know, a couple of days later. So as such, there is an institutional void in Haiti right now. You know, you talked about how the gangs are filling this void right now and just how much of the country have these gangs taken over? So Haiti has an estimated population of about 11 to 12 million people and about it's estimated for a million people live in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, which is roughly,

you know, by estimates, the size of LA, right? 60 to 70% of the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince is under gang control and increasing. So the city is in a chokehold and so is the country. Okay, wow. The gang responsible for taking over the largest gas terminal in response, as you said, to Henry removing a gas subsidy in September is the G9 family gang. The U.N. has now put sanctions on the leader of that gang. His name is Jimmy Teresia. He goes by the name Barbecue. And what effect do you think that that might have on the situation? Might it might it help? Well, that's that's a million. That's a million dollar question, honestly, or a billion dollar question, I'd say.

Because precisely these are two philosophies that are clashing right now about what to do about the situation. clashing right now about what to do about the situation. The government has all but, you know, begged to get international foreign military intervention here in Haiti. However, the international community is saying we'd rather go with sanctions, targeted sanctions towards gang leaders and their sponsors to try and quell the current wave of violence that's sweeping through the country. As such, as of this week, for instance, the current situation is that folks, it's dawning on folks here that a military intervention is less and less likely in the near future because the way the Haitian government had formulated its requests was to have an urgent kind of tactical team to come and liberate the terminal and restore the flow of oil through a country. Although that would be challenging, as I told you, nearly 60 to 80, nearly 60, 70 percent

of the capital is controlled by gangs. So taking over the terminal is just one aspect of the security crisis that we're going through. Yeah. And what is the reaction from the people who have been protesting to sending in international troops? Is there support for it amongst the Haitian people? I know the government wants that, though. I think it might be worth noting that an international force would presumably help Ariel hold on to his tenuous grip on power, right? Well, that's one of the concerns.

I mean, evidently the topic is polarizing here in Haiti precisely because of the history of past military interventions over the last century. Well, Haiti was seen as a trailblazer, as the world's first black-led republic in 1804, shaking off its French colonizers. But France forced it to pay reparations, and the U.S. occupied the country for two decades. It then endured autocratic rule and more American military interventions. You know, we have a complicated history with that, and it turns out that, you know, military intervention were never a long-term solution. What it seems to happen now is that the international community itself is in its own

introspection and realizing that a military intervention is not a long-term solution. Because to talk about a military intervention today here in Haiti, you'd need to talk in terms of for how long would it be there and what kind of resources it would mobilize and what's the exit strategy from that. So this is why no countries really are taking up to that tasks because they understand that it would be very complicated. And then the other side, you have folks here fighting over whether or not, you know, an international military intervention would be warranted. warranted. This request is an unconstitutional act. This is an act against the state. It is an action against the Haitian people's demands who want a free country where everyone can eat, have health care, and live like human beings. You have those who are fighting against imperialism that they believe that the U.S. would be instoring here in Haiti. Freedom. We are not in the states of the United States. We are not provinces of the United States.

We are a country. We are a republic. They cannot give us orders. This time we do not need them. And then you have those who say, you know, the Haitian National Police cannot do it alone. It needs help in any shape or form, but preferably, you know, direct military intervention for it to happen. So and then you have that within a global context, you know, of of all the current ongoing challenges, whether it's in Ukraine, whether it's in Iran, Russia, you name it. So all of that is kind of compounded. So Haiti is probably in a worse state at the worst possible time.

Haiti is probably in its worst state at the worst possible time. The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making his first visit to Canada Thursday and Friday. And the first thing our foreign minister said they talk about is the crisis in Haiti. Does that give you the sense that this is a priority right now? What do you think is going to happen vis-a-vis the international community? So I like to joke with folks that perhaps, and I mean, being Canadian myself and having, you know, lived in Canada, and kind of knowing the constituency of Justin Trudeau and Melanie Jolie, and knowing that their entourage counts many Haitian Canadians, you know, it's likely that, you know, it's probably the most Haitian-friendly government that Canada has ever had. And as such, it's not a surprise really that

Canada would be taking it to heart. However, in Haiti, the US carries a lot of weight in the politics, in the perceptions. Any words from the U.S. is scrutinized and tried to be interpreted so that people can try and see something coming out of it. So it's a bit odd, right? I think it would have been the opposite, I think, that folks would have perhaps been expecting that Canada would go to the U.S. and have a meeting about it. The fact that Blinken, you know, who also, from my understanding of his history, also has kind of a personal, you know, sensitivity, you know, to Haiti. So it seems that, you know, on the international front, as it is in the current context, Haiti couldn't have people that are more sensitive to its situation.

But on the other hand, folks are waiting for action that they're not seeing. And for them here, they're feeling it's yet another discussion on what to do. And they're starting to realize that there are the midterms coming in the U.S. And that carries weight as well, you know, in how things may evolve in the coming days when we barely can count the hours. In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections.

Hi, it's Ramit Sethi here. You may have seen my money show on Netflix. I've been talking about money for 20 years. I've talked to millions of people and I have some startling numbers to share with you. Did you know that of the people I speak to, 50% of them do not know their own household income? That's not a typo. 50%.

That's because money is confusing. In my new book and podcast, Money for Couples, I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Couples. In the immediate term, how has this crisis created and exacerbated the situation with cholera on the ground? Well, essentially, since UN troops had brought in cholera in 2010, Haiti has spent many years fighting back to eradicate it. And the irony, the cruel irony of the situation is that Haiti was about to celebrate its, if I'm not mistaken, its third year without cholera when this outbreak happens. outbreak happens. But the reason why the outbreak happened, it's because barricades, violent protests prevented folks to have access to clean water. As a result, the country's main water

suppliers like Culligan Waters say they've ceased production and distribution. The country's poorest are bearing the brunt of the disastrous effects of the crisis. The lack of drinking water has led to a cluster of cholera cases as people desperate to keep themselves hydrated resort to drinking contaminated water. So it was written in the sky that within, you know, two, three weeks time, it was likely we would get cholera, which happened. And right now it's spreading, you know, super fast in the country, precisely, you know, because of the lack of water, because of the lack of fuel. So treatment centers, hospitals, they're all really challenged right now and they cannot function properly. So

it's unlikely that we'll see the end of it just quickly unless severe measures or very important measures are taken to restore a certain sense of normality here in Haiti. Yeah. So what do you think, in absence of international forces going in, and I know that there's a complicated history with that, but if they don't go in, what do you think could happen to your country in the coming days and weeks? to your country in the coming days and weeks? Well, essentially, it's a slow death, honestly. It's a slow death because the fad, the excitement,

you know, whether it was warranted or not, of a prospect of troops coming within the last three weeks has, you know, faded. coming within the last three weeks has faded. And folks are starting to kind of realize that. And it's scary to them because it's basically saying you're on your own. You need to sort it out. And they're having a hard time kind of understanding most people I talk to that how come the situation is so bad? What is the U.S. waiting for? They want to have people dying on their shores or on their border. What do they want? Here we have cholera. So they feel they are this kind of demographic or social bomb that is about to blow and that nobody cares. Some people are talking of Rwanda, you know, that we may have massacres, even more massacres. We've had massacres,

but we have more of this kind of, as per the Dominican president, this low-intensity civil war. So this is kind of where we all collectively are at right now, is that we are starting to understand that we are on our own and that we need to figure it out. A lot of folks have left. You know, this has already turned into a migration crisis. You have nearly 100,000 Haitians roaming anywhere around Latin America, trying to make their way up to the U.S. and even sometimes ending up in Roxham Road in Quebec. So you have, you know, it's already this kind of crisis in the making that is just ballooning right now.

Harold, thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time today. Anytime. All right. That's all for today. I'm Jamie Poisson. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you tomorrow.