At this moment in the deepening crisis in Haiti, Pax Christi USA states unequivocally that the situation in Haiti should be resolved internally by the Haitian people. We call upon President Bush to publicly promise to make no moves, militarily or otherwise, that would threaten or undermine the sovereignty of Haiti. Rather, we call on the Bush Administration to publicly denounce all armed actors in Haiti and to specifically call upon the armed opposition to immediately halt their activities. It is imperative that the U.S. government make clear that the U.S. will not support any elements of Haitian society that use armed violence to further political ends. During this time of crisis, it is imperative that Haitians resolve their issues and that our government respects the integrity of their country and constitution. We call upon all factions within Haiti to disavow violent solutions and to pursue resolution to this crisis through nonviolent means with respect for the democratic process and the Haitian Constitution.
The most important statement that we make at this time is to assert to our own government that the sovereignty of Haiti is of paramount importance. Haitians must be allowed to resolve their own issues without the threat of an intervention by empire-building opportunists within the Bush Administration. We are convinced that much of the instability that led to the current crisis in Haiti is the result of overt U.S. policies toward that country and covert support for forces employing violence which exacerbate the already harsh economic misery and insecurity of the Haitian people. In the wake of the recent deployment of Marines to protect the U.S. embassy, we believe it is important to call attention to the long history of U.S. interference in Haitian affairs. In 1915, the U.S. government under President Wilson also sent Marines to Haiti under the direction to protect Americans and American interests. The Haitian people have not forgotten that this first deployment of Marines led to a de facto U.S. occupation and control of their country for nearly twenty years, during which the resident U.S. naval commander dissolved the Haitian Congress and attempted to dictate a new constitution. Since then, the U.S. government has actively undermined democracy in Haiti, supplying former Haitian dictators, fighters and paramilitaries with U.S. military training, military aid and training from the infamous School of the Americas. In light of this history and current nation-building military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, we insist that the Bush Administration immediately cease any attempts at fomenting tension and division in Haiti through back-channel support of some of the factions which oppose President Aristide.
Pax Christi USA has a long history of accompanying the Haitian people during times of conflict and transition, especially during the post-Duvalier years, through the first election of President Aristide, the subsequent coup and his return in 1994. It is with great sadness that we witness the violence which once again engulfs this country which has provided such hope in recent history for their success in employing nonviolence to achieve social and political change. We call on President Aristide, his supporters and the multiple factions which are in opposition to his rule to disavow violence and to remember once again the promise of real change which can happen only through nonviolent methods and campaigns.
We understand that the Haiti of today is not the Haiti of ten years ago. We recognize that many of President Aristide’s opponents, which include many who formerly supported him, are not associated with the violence that is currently taking place in Haiti nor desire the violent overthrow of his administration. We believe that there are legitimate issues, especially regarding human rights abuses attributed to the Fanmi Lavalas party, which must be examined and resolved if Haiti wishes to emerge from this moment and strengthen its commitment to democracy. We believe that efforts at bringing opposing sides to the table hold some promise and believe that the United Nations, Organization of American States and CARICOM—not the U.S.—are the proper agents to help the various factions in Haiti come together and address these issues in a transparent, constructive manner. We believe that such a process can happen in a way that respects democratic processes and the Constitution of Haiti.
Even before the current eruption of violence, the situation in Haiti was desperate—rampant poverty, unemployment, hunger and disease. For two centuries prior and throughout the Aristide years, the U.S. has undercut all attempts to improve conditions for the people of Haiti, either through deliberate opposition or through calculated neglect. At this moment, we skeptically hope that the Bush Administration will not use Haiti’s misery as an opportunity for furthering its own misguided empire aspirations. It is our great hope that the Haitian people will be allowed to decide the fate of their own country, and that all sides realize that it is in the best interests of all to pursue resolution of this crisis through nonviolent means.
Click here for an action alert on Haiti
Click here for a Prayer for the People of Haiti
Click here to read a poem, "Haiti in Lent," by Pax Christi USA Policy Director Jean Stokan
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