The United States has issued a warning to Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council, saying it will consider action if the transitional governing body threatens national security in the Caribbean.
The U.S. Embassy in Haiti asserted in a strongly worded social media post Thursday that its goal is to “establish basic security and stability.”
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“The United States will view any effort by the unelected Interim Presidential Council to change the composition of government at this late stage in its term (scheduled to expire on February 7) as an effort to undermine its purpose,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a statement.
He added that the United States would also respond if there were any such changes to the Council. However, his statement did not specify the exact circumstances under which the warning was issued.
“The United States will consider anyone who supports these destructive measures in favor of gangs to be acting against the interests of the United States, the region, and the Haitian people, and we will act accordingly,” Landau said.
Haiti continues to struggle with widespread gang violence, instability, and government corruption.
But the U.S. threat is likely to send tremors throughout the region, especially in the aftermath of the January 3 attack on Venezuela.
President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly asserted the notion that the entire Western Hemisphere is within its sphere of influence, as part of a policy dubbed the “Don Roe Doctrine,” a play on the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine.
President Trump cited this premise to justify the use of U.S. military force to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, arguing that the United States needed control of Greenland.
political crisis
Haiti, about 11,000 kilometers (800 miles) southeast of the United States, has long been plagued by instability. It is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere as it continues to suffer from a legacy of foreign intervention, dictatorships and natural disasters.
However, in 2021, President Jouvenel Moïse was assassinated at his home in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the country faced a new crisis.
No federal elections have been held since then, leading to a crisis of confidence in the government. The last federally elected officials had their terms expire in 2023.
Experts say a lack of leadership has allowed Haiti’s gangs to flourish, controlling vast swaths of territory, including up to 90% of the capital, since Moïse’s assassination.
The resulting violence has forced more than 1.4 million Haitians from their homes. Millions more suffer from food insecurity as main streets are often restricted by gang-led barricades.
This week, a United Nations report revealed that an estimated 8,100 people died in violence between January and November last year. This represents an increase from 2024, when the annual total was 5,600 cases.
However, efforts have been made to restore stability to the country. The Interim Presidential Council was designed as a temporary governing structure to set the framework for new federal elections. It was established in 2024 and has nine members who take turns in chairing it.
But the council soon faced criticism of its members, drawn primarily from the country’s business and political elites, and allegations of corruption swirled. Infighting broke out among the members.
The United States is also increasing tensions in the Council. In November, the government announced visa restrictions for an unnamed government official, later identified in the media as economist Fritz Alphonse Jean, one of the council’s members.
The parliament had planned to hold elections in stages starting in November last year, but the criteria could not be met and the first vote was postponed to August.
Meanwhile, the council’s mandate is scheduled to be dissolved on February 7, and the commission’s future remains uncertain.
United Nations calls for action
In his report on Haiti this week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres links the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis to a government vacuum.
“Violence has intensified and spread geographically, exacerbating food insecurity and instability, while an expiring transitional governance agreement and overdue elections remain urgent,” Secretary-General Guterres said.
Another UN representative, Carlos Luis Mathieu, who heads the UN Office for Integration in Haiti (BINUH), also stressed the immediate need for transparent democratic processes and unified governance.
“Let me be clear: this country no longer has time to waste on protracted domestic struggles,” he said.
Still, in a speech to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Louis Mathieu added that there were “encouraging” signs ahead of elections scheduled for this year. He praised efforts to increase voter registration, including among the Haitian diaspora, and encourage women’s political participation.
But Lewis Mathews stressed that security concerns, including gang violence, could hinder the democratic process and that there was still work to be done before elections could be held.
“Achieving this goal requires continuous coordination among relevant institutions, predictable financing of electoral processes, and safe conditions for all voters and candidates to participate without fear,” he said.
The United Nations also indicated it would strengthen its multinational security assistance mission in Haiti by adding more troops later this year.
