The United States has sent a major Coast Guard vessel to patrol the waters near Port-au-Prince in a “sign of resolve” with the Haitian government as gang violence continues to grip the nation, and will impose new visa restrictions on Haitians involved in gang activity, the Biden administration said Wednesday.
But senior administration officials said it was “premature” to discuss a potential U.S. troop presence in the country, despite a Haitian government request last week that international forces intervene to help break a gang blockade of the country’s largest fuel terminal, and provide assistance to contain a growing cholera outbreak.
“I think it’s premature to start thinking whether the United States is going to have a physical presence inside of Haiti,” one senior administration official said.
Two officials said that additional security and humanitarian assistance would soon be delivered to the Caribbean nation, including bleach, cholera kits and oral rehydration salts needed to help stem an outbreak of cholera. But it remained unclear how that aid would move through the streets of Haiti’s capital, where gangs and angry protesters demanding the resignation of the prime minister have blocked roads, and the distribution of fuel has been disrupted now going on five weeks.
On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State Brian A. Nichols flew to Port-au-Prince with a U.S. delegation that includes Defense Department and Southern Command officials. They will meet with Prime Minister Ariel Henry, along with members of Haiti’s private sector and a civil society coalition known as the Montana Group that is seeking to lead a two-year transition in Haiti. The Montana Group has publicly come out in opposition to foreign intervention in Haiti, and accused Henry of issuing the request to remain in power.
Haiti’s latest crisis was ignited last month when the government announced a hike in fuel prices to reduce $400 million in subsidies as part of a reform package that also seeks to collect $600 million in undeclared customs duties. Both Haiti and other governments have said that economic interests upset by the decisions are responsible for the chaos in the streets.
“There are often political and economic actors that are linked to the gangs,” the senior administration official said.
The administration is looking at imposing sanctions on individuals, in addition to the visa restrictions, the official said. “We’re going to be exploring other measures to make sure that we are holding those that are preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance and risking the security of Haitian people.”
The U.S. is also preparing to introduce a resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would create a structure for international sanctions on individuals involved in gang activity.
And “as an additional sign of resolve and support for the people of Haiti, the U.S. Coast Guard has deployed one of its major cutters to patrol offshore Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at the request of the Government of Haiti and in close coordination with the Department of State,” a National Security Council official told McClatchy and the Miami Herald.
Coast Guard ships often coordinate with their Haitian counterparts further off shore to the northwest of the country to curb the migration flow of Haitians seek to come to the U.S.
The Haitian government is asking for a specialized international strike force that can rapidly respond and drive the gangs back. The U.N. secretary-general has supported the request, asking the Security Council in a letter Sunday to support a rapid reaction force to secure a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of fuel, water and much needed medical supplies.
Cholera continues to spread in Haiti. Dr. Carissa Etienne, the head of the Pan American Health Organization, said Wednesday that Haiti has so far confirmed 32 cases and 18 deaths from cholera.
There are over 260 suspected cases still awaiting confirmation in the area surrounding Port-au-Prince. Nearly one quarter of these cases are among children between ages 1 and 4.
“Cholera has arrived amid serious ongoing social and political unrest in Haiti,” Etienne said. “These parallel challenges complicate efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and respond to this outbreak.”
Limited access to clean water is creating ideal conditions for the spread of cholera, which is passed on through contaminated water and food.
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