Haitian Movements Are Clear: Foreign Intervention Is No Solution

On March 21, our Haitian partners joined us for a webinar on the current crisis in their country, and its historical roots. This solidarity encounter served to highlight voices not often heard in the international bodies currently plotting Haiti’s future: that of Haitian grassroots movements made up of small farmers and ordinary people.

Amid rising gang violence and plans for a new United Nations military occupation, these movements made clear that UN “peacekeepers” are no solution to Haiti’s problems. According to our partners, wealth extraction by the world’s major powers, gang violence, and UN military occupations are all related. In place of imperial interventions, proposals like the Montana Accord offer Haitian-led solutions and a path to a free, sovereign, and democratic Haiti.

We were joined by:

• Juslene Tyresias and Chavannes Jean Baptiste, Mouvman Peyizan Papay/ Peasant Movement of Papaye, (MPP)
• Doudou Pierre Festile, Mouvman Peyizan Nasyonal Kongre Papay/ National Congress of the Papaye Peasant Movement (MPNKP)
• Micherline Islanda Aduel, Tèt Kole Ti Peyizan Ayisyen/ Heads Together Smallscale Farmers of Haiti
• Camille Chalmers, Plateforme Haïtienne de Plaidoyer pour un Développement Alternatif/ Haitian Platform to Advocate Alternative Development (PAPDA)

Check out some highlights of what they shared and watch the full recording below.

Origins of the Crisis

“The crisis is an expression of the colonial system that the Americans have erected since 1915…

The gangs are basically inside of this global project. They are a tool of it. With this project, there’s a war being brought to the Haitian people. To be able to understand this war, we have to think with this global perspective….

It’s very important to look at this extreme violence that these armed gangs are doing to the population. This is a continuation of the processes of war against Haiti…

Peasants are standing up and defending themselves — they’re standing w/ the project of 1804, the project that says that everyone is equal, that we are sovereign and free. This is the project that [the imperial powers] are trying to dismantle today.” — Camille Chalmers, PAPDA

Clips from Camille Chalmers

“Haiti is [being treated as] a project of death, tied with neoliberal projects to grab the natural resources of Haiti. For that to happen, they mean to exterminate the peasant class; you can see that the plan is to remove the peasants from their land so they can go to the cities and leave the country…

Ariel [the acting Prime Minister of Haiti] is working with the imperialist countries to pass the project of occupation, supposedly to oust the gangsters, but we know that it is about strengthening the project of death… 

What is the alternative? We believe that today the struggle must continue toward unity among social movements and progressive forces so we can have a united front to resist against the project of occupation, against the project of colonization, while we are working on popular education and organization, so we can resist to continue the struggle, and to demand a [real] transition so the situation in the country can change.”— Chavannes Jean Baptiste, MPP

The Montana Accord and the Struggles Ahead

“We have to find the strategy with all the progressive forces of Haiti so we can free ourselves from this project of recolonization of our country.

We have to continue to fight against the project of invasion, occupation, recolonization, that intends to grab Haitian resources…

We want an independent Haiti. The Montana Accord presented very clear alternatives… We need international solidarity.” — Doudou Pierre Festile, MPNKP

Clips from Doudou Pierre Festile

“We fight for national sovereignty, food sovereignty, independence, the right to be ourselves as an adult country…The solution for Haiti is not going to come from outside, nor is it going to come from the gangs… We do not want foreign forces – we don’t want [those from outside] to tell us what to do… We don’t want any false solutions; we need sustainable solutions. Haiti can provide that. The sovereign rights of the country have to be respected. We are always going to stress that… Haiti is for Haiti and Haiti will save Haiti.” — Juslene Tyresias, Mouvman Peyizan Papay/ Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP)

Clip from Micherline Islanda Aduel

“For years we’ve been fighting for this transition, that needs to stop with the social, economic and political meddling, so we can have change in Haiti… We are sovereign, and we’re going to say we’re not going to go back.” — Micherline Islanda Aduel, Tèt Kole Ti Peyizan Ayisyen

Given the crisis in Haiti, consider making a donation in solidarity with the movements you heard from in this solidarity encounter as well as our other Haitian partners on the ground.