In the past six months, Haitian government officials have been attacked, the president has been assassinated, and the prime minister has luckily escaped the disaster

On 20 July 2021, Haiti's new Prime Minister, Henry, spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the new government in Port-au-Prince.

The Haitian Prime Minister's Office confirmed on January 3 that Prime Minister Henry was attacked by local armed groups on the 1st of january to participate in the commemoration of the 218th anniversary of Haiti's independence and was fortunate to have escaped the attack. And just last July, former Haitian President Moiz was assassinated in his private residence. Continued attacks and an uncontrolled political situation have increasingly pushed Haiti to the forefront of chaos.

The Associated Press quoted the Haitian Prime Minister's Office on the 3rd as reporting that when Henry participated in the official celebration of the 218th anniversary of Haiti's independence at a church in The city of Gonaïves, about 150 kilometers north of the capital Port-au-Prince, clashes broke out between the police and local armed groups. Henry was attending Mass at the church when gunfire forced Henry and others to leave the church and seek refuge. A total of one person was reported to have been killed and two injured in the clashes.

The Prime Minister's Office said "bandits and terrorists" attempted to kill Henry and accused the group of trying to attack the convoy and threaten those attending the event by surrounding the church. "This is intolerable," the Haitian Prime Minister's Office said, adding that an arrest warrant had been issued.

As a result of the surge in gang violence and the deteriorating security situation, no high-level Haitian Government has dared to attend commemorations in the city of Gonaïves, the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed more than 200 years ago, as a result of the surge in gang violence. In early 2020, then-President Moiz, forced by the threat of violent protests, canceled plans to visit the area. The local newspaper, The New, said Henry's attendance at Mass was "a move that no political authority has been able to do in the last four years."

Since Moyz was assassinated by militants last July, Haiti has been plunged into ongoing deep political turmoil. Two weeks after the killing of the former president, Haiti formed a new "presidentless" government, in which Henry became prime minister and promised to hold presidential elections as soon as possible. However, according to foreign media reports, Henry dismissed the members of the provisional election committee in September last year on the grounds that he could not organize elections, and said that he would re-examine and form the election committee in the first half of this year. General elections are expected to be held in the middle of this year. Reuters analysis believes that the latest attack is not a small blow to Henry's temporary fragile government. Henry has struggled for legitimacy since coming to power, hoping to form a broader political coalition to run the country, but powerful armed groups have been calling on Henry to step down.

Despite the glorious title of "the world's first black republic", Haiti has long been plagued by serious political crises and socio-economic challenges. There are currently more than 100 legally registered political parties in Haiti, and the intricate relationship between them makes the government inefficient. In addition, gangs are increasingly rampant in Haiti, gang violence and kidnapping are emerging, and the last United Nations peacekeepers left Haiti 2 years ago. The U.S. and Canadian governments urged their citizens to leave Haiti in November. To make matters worse, the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Haiti last August claimed more than 2,200 lives, plunging the country into deeper political chaos and economic crisis, further deteriorating security and worrying humanitarian conditions.

Author: Shen Qinhan

Editor: Lu Shuwen

Photo: Xinhua News Agency