Over the past decade, following the devastating passage of Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Haiti has been experiencing an unprecedented socio-political and economic crisis. This crisis is characterized by widespread political instability and the substantial collapse of state institutions, leading to a significant deterioration in humanitarian conditions, and exacerbating endemic poverty and food insecurity. The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 further destabilized the country, leaving it in a state of the political vacuum that has facilitated the growth of criminal gangs' power, which currently control much of the territory, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Since then, presidential and legislative elections have been repeatedly postponed, leading to increasingly frequent public unrest and protests, often violently suppressed. Furthermore, rampant inflation, the collapse of the national currency, and widespread unemployment have pushed most of the population below the poverty line. Concurrently, the healthcare system, already weakened by Hurricane Matthew, is collapsing, with recurring cholera epidemics and a lack of access to basic services for millions of people.
The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), present in the country from 2004 to 2017, left a controversial legacy. Although it temporarily improved security, the mission was also accused of sexual abuse and contributing to the spread of a cholera epidemic following the 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti's interior. After the withdrawal of MINUSTAH personnel, subsequent UN missions have had a limited impact, failing to address the growing power of armed gangs and the political crisis.
In this context, a crucial regional actor is the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The relations between the two countries, historically complex and marked by ethnic tensions, have further deteriorated as the government of Santo Domingo has adopted restrictive policies towards Haitian immigrants, including forced repatriations and restrictions on citizenship for people of Haitian origin. These measures have increased bilateral tensions and had a significant impact on the deterioration of human rights for Haitian migrants, who are already vulnerable due to their economic conditions.
Over the past decade, U.S. intervention has often focused on supporting pro-American governments, sometimes at the cost of overlooking allegations of corruption and human rights violations. In this context, economic aid from Washington has been ambiguous: while it has generally contributed to improving living conditions for the population, many resources have been mismanaged by an inefficient political system or absorbed by the corruption networks of clandestine armed gangs.
Another particularly relevant actor is Venezuela, which, through the Petrocaribe program, provided Haiti with oil at favorable prices, allowing the Port-au-Prince government to allocate additional resources to national development. However, like aid from Washington, the mismanagement and frequent scandals related to Petrocaribe funds fuelled public protests and distrust towards Haitian authorities. Nevertheless, in 2019, when Venezuela itself faced an economic crisis, support for Petrocaribe was drastically reduced, depriving Haiti of a crucial source of low-cost energy.
The lack of security and extreme poverty, as well as widespread insecurity and social immobility, have led to systematic human rights violations. Armed gangs use sexual violence as a tool of control, while thousands of children are recruited as soldiers or exploited for forced labor. Despite the presence of international aid, the lack of coordination and the weakness of Haitian institutions have prevented significant progress. Without a radical change in governance and a concrete commitment from the international community to support long-term solutions, it is unlikely that the situation will improve.
Matteo Balzarini Zane, bachelor degree in Political Science, International Relations and Human Rights at the University of Padua (Italy). His X account is @m_balzarinizane.
