Caribbean Update Haiti crisis worsens; Bahamas evacuates diplomats

By BERT WILKINSON Special to the AmNews

As one of crisis-ridden Haiti’s closest neighbors, The Bahamas has always complained about having to absorb and cater to thousands of Haitian migrants fleeing economic and political crises, gang violence, and other issues at home.

Official estimates of the number of Haitians in The Bahamas are usually 30 percent of the population, heading to around 350,000. Many of them are poor, unable to fill highpaying jobs, or without the skills needed to build aesthetic homes in a nation whose lifeline is tourism. So Bahamian officials have commenced a campaign to clampdown on Haitians arriving there illegally as the crisis of violence and a collapsed government structure worsens.

Late last week, Prime Min- ister Phillip Davis ordered the evacuation of the entire Bahamian diplomatic staff in Haiti, fearing the situation was deteriorating to a point where the safety of the staff could no longer be guaranteed. The diplomats were transited through the neighboring Dominican Republic.

The evacuation order came just hours after authorities reported the deaths of 15 police officers at the hands of marauding gangs. Angry colleagues reacted by storming the official residence of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, contending that nothing from the political top was being done to alleviate their plight. The Caribbean Community nation of close to 12 million people has been in a state of turmoil ever since suspected Colombian rebels stormed the residence of President Jovenel Moïse,, assassinating him in July of 2021, injuring his wife and plung- ing the country into a level of chaos that is only worsening.

The 15-nation regional Caricom bloc, of which Haiti was the last to join in 2002, said in a statement that it “is deeply concerned” about the political situation, the challenge police officers are facing, and the general breakdown of security in the country.

“The anger and dismay of the police at the gruesome killings of their colleagues—78 killed since July 2021 and 14 to date this January—are shared by all. However, abandoning the role of the security forces to protect every citizen and maintain public order further destabilizes the country. The protest actions by members of the police service against the prime minister cannot be condoned,” the bloc said.

As an indication of how panicky authorities in The Bahamas are, the cabinet said this week it will defy the advice of the United Nations to suspend the deportations of Haitians seeking refuge there. Police and the coast guard said that they repatriated more than 5,000 Haitians last year. Immigration Minister Keith Bell said the country has no choice.

“The United Nations obviously seek to ensure that there is harmony, there’s unity among all nations, so obviously that is his job. We in The