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Haiti’s long history of crises, and its present unrest
How could Haiti even get to the point that its capital, Port-au-Prince, is paralyzed by armed gangs? For at least part of the answer, take a look at its history. You may find it hard to believe.
The island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic was visited by Columbus in 1492; he called it Hispaniola, claiming it for Spain. But Haiti eventually became a fabulously rich French colony, its plantations producing much of the world’s coffee and sugar.
In 1791, the enslaved Africans who worked those plantations revolted. What followed was a 13-year bloodbath. Then, on January 1, 1804, Haiti traded the French flag for its own. It became the first Black republic, and abolished slavery.
But in 1825, the French came back, with gunboats, and an outrageous demand: reparations. Haiti had to borrow the money, with interest, from – yes! – France.
In today’s currency, that would equal about $20 billion, according to Jake Johnston, the author of “Aid State,” an analysis of the effects of foreign intervention in Haiti. “They wanted to be paid to recognize Haiti,” said Johnston, “paid for their lost property, the enslaved population that had become an independent nation.”
St. Martin’s Press
The reparations that Haiti had to pay France had a huge impact on the country, said Haitian journalist and activist Monique Clesca. “Knowing that you gain your freedom but you had to pay the ones who were holding you as a slave. … It is a collective scar that we carry. So, it has a major impact, because we could’ve been better.”
Instead of building roads and schools and hospitals, Haiti was paying off that debt until 1947.
And how important a factor was the United States’ presence, and involvement? “I think it’s hard to overstate,” said Johnston.
In 1915, the U.S. sent in the Marines, took control of Haiti’s finances, and occupied the country for 19 years. It has continued to play political puppeteer ever since.
Just one example: The U.S. backed the Duvalier dictatorship. François “Papa Doc” Duvalier seized power in 1956. Declaring himself “president for life,” Papa Doc eliminated opposition with the help of his murderous goon squad, called the Tonton Macoute.
Johnston said, “One reason why the United States ended up being a big, early supporter of the Duvalier dictatorship was because they were a bulwark against communism in the hemisphere.”
When Papa Doc died in 1971, his 19-year-old son, Jean-Claude (known as “Baby Doc”), declared himself president for life, but was forced into exile in 1986. He took with him, by some estimates, as much as $800 million, stolen from the people of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Haiti actually held free and peaceful elections in 1991. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a former priest, was elected president … and was overthrown just a year later. So much for stability.
Then, in January 2010 Haiti’s worst earthquake in 200 years destroyed much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and killed, according to Haitian officials, more than 200,000 people.
In the chaotic aftermath, dozens of gangs emerged. “They were working hand-in-hand with politicians,” said Monique Clesca.
“So, you can’t separate the gang situation from the political situation?” asked Teichner.
“No. Not at all,” replied Clesca. “The gangs became empowered, the gangs were validated, armed, et cetera, by the economic and the political elite.”
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Ariel Henry has served as the country’s unpopular, unelected prime minister. His resignation hinges on the establishment of a transitional council.
Meanwhile, the gangs united under Jimmy Chérizier (a.k.a. Barbecue) are making political demands.
So, what now? With the United States and other regional players trying to broker the transition, Clesca acknowledges that Haiti has rarely been in the hands of Haitians. “And it is a battle that we are waging to confirm, to affirm our sovereignty.”
Haiti’s history has been described as “a series of crises, with brief periods of hope and peace.” Will this be one of those periods? Or the same-old story, doomed to failure?
“My heart tells me that it is 50/50,” said Clesca. “But my head tells me it may be 80% might fail. But what I know is, we gotta take the chance, because we’re dying every day.”
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Story produced by Kay Lim. Editor: Emanuele Secci.
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Sen. Thom Tillis says “the scope” of Helene damage in North Carolina “is more like Katrina”
As recovery missions and repairs continue in North Carolina more than a week after Hurricane Helene carved a path of devastation through the western part of the state, the state’s Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called for more resources to bolster the relief effort and likened the damage to Hurricane Katrina’s mark on Louisiana in 2005.
“This is unlike anything that we’ve seen in this state,” Tillis told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday morning. “We need increased attention. We need to continue to increase the surge of federal resources.”
Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeast U.S. after making landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 as a powerful Category 4 storm. Helene brought heavy rain and catastrophic flooding to communities across multiple states, including Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, with North Carolina bearing the brunt of the destruction. Officials previously said hundreds of roads in western North Carolina were washed out and inaccessible after the storm, hampering rescue operations, and several highways were blocked by mudslides.
Tillis said Sunday that most roads in the region likely remained closed due to flooding and debris. Water, electricity and other essential services still have not been fully restored.
“The scope of this storm is more like Katrina,” he said. “It may look like a flood to the outside observer, but again, this is a landmass roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts, with damage distributed throughout. We have to get maximum resources on the ground immediately to finish rescue operations.”
Hurricane Katrina left more than 1,000 people dead after it slammed into Louisiana’s Gulf Coast in August 2005, flooding neighborhoods and destroying infrastructure in and around New Orleans as well as in parts of the surrounding region. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. in the last 50 years, and the costliest storm on record.
The death toll from Hurricane Helene is at least 229, CBS News has confirmed, with at least 116 of those deaths reported in North Carolina alone. Officials have said they expect the death toll to continue to rise as recovery efforts were ongoing, and a spokesperson for the police department in Asheville told CBS News Friday their officers were “actively working 75 cases of missing persons.”
On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Transportation released $100 million in emergency funds for North Carolina to rebuild the roads and bridges damaged by the hurricane.
“We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
President Biden previously announced that the federal government would cover “100%” of costs for debris removal and emergency protective measures in North Carolina for six months.
With North Carolina leaders working with a number of relief agencies to deal with the aftermath of the storm, Tillis urged federal officials to ramp up the resources being funneled into the state’s hardest-hit areas. The senator also addressed a surge in conspiracy theories and misinformation about the Biden Administration’s disaster response, which have been fueled by Republican political figures like former President Donald Trump.
Trump falsely claimed that Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, were diverting funds from Federal Emergency Management Agency that would support the relief effort in North Carolina toward initiatives for immigrants. He also said baselessly that the administration and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, were withholding funds because many communities that were hit hardest are predominantly Republican. Elon Musk has shared false claims about FEMA, too.
“Many of these observations are not even from people on the ground,” Tillis said of those claims. “I believe that we have to stay focused on rescue operations, recovery operations, clearing operations, and we don’t need any of these distractions on the ground. It’s at the expense of the hard-working first responders and people that are just trying to recover their lives.”
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