Carib Scope

标签： Haiti

海地

  • News : Zapping…

    News : Zapping…

    July 25, 2026 – A week of mixed developments across Haiti spans youth football, local government transitions, rural infrastructure investment, and a decades-long call for accountability, with updates from every region of the country.

    The biggest sporting spotlight this weekend falls on the 2026 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, hosted in Puebla, Mexico, where Haiti’s U-20 national side, the Grenadiers, will take on the United States U-20 team on Saturday evening, 10 PM local Haitian time, at the Estadio Universitario BUAP. This matchup marks the fifth encounter between the two nations in the history of the CONCACAF U-20 Championship, with the United States holding an undefeated streak of four wins against Haiti in prior tournament meetings. Haiti earned its spot in this year’s championship after a dominant run through Group D qualifiers, finishing with a clean 4-win record without a single draw or loss. This marks the 12th time Haiti has competed in the continental youth tournament.

    In local governance news, Jacmel swore in its new municipal commission on Friday, July 24. Following an official swearing-in ceremony overseen by Justice of the Peace Keder Adescar, departmental delegate Pierre Michel Lafontant formally installed the new leadership team. Marceau Joseph will lead the commission as acting Mayor, supported by two deputy mayors Stéphanie Edouard Lafontant and Julie Leclerc, both of whom have pledged to prioritize local community progress during their term.

    Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) launched a key rural infrastructure project this week in Rendel, a community within the commune of Chardonnières. Agriculture Minister Marcelin Aubourg presided over the launch ceremony on July 24, confirming the project is funded through the national Resilient Agriculture for Food Security Project (PARSA). Once completed, the new rural access road will connect isolated farming communities to regional markets, cut transportation costs for agricultural producers, and strengthen national food security by removing barriers to getting local crops to consumers.

    For Haiti’s senior men’s national football team, CONCACAF has officially released the full group stage schedule for the 2026-2027 Nations League, where Haiti competes in Group A of League A. All four of Haiti’s group stage matches will be held during the September-October 2026 FIFA international window, with the side currently awaiting the appointment of a new head coach. Haiti will open its campaign against Trinidad and Tobago on September 24, host Costa Rica four days later on September 28, travel to face the Dominican Republic on October 2, and wrap up group play against Costa Rica away on October 6.

    Thirty-nine years after the 1987 Jean-Rabel massacre that left 139 peasant activists dead and more than 200 injured, Haitian peasant organization Tèt Kole Ti Peyizan Ayisyen continues to push for accountability. The massacre occurred on July 23, 1987, and nearly four decades later, the group says the core demands that led peasants to mobilize for land rights in 1987 remain unmet. The organization is calling for formal justice for victims, reparations for surviving families and affected communities, and the implementation of long-promised comprehensive agrarian reform across Haiti.

    In Cap-Haïtien, the city’s municipal administration has begun distributing free paint to homeowners in the city center, as part of a broader urban beautification initiative launched this week. The distribution is limited to areas where the city has already completed street and sidewalk clearing work, and homeowners are required to paint the facade of their properties by the July 31 deadline set by municipal officials.

  • Maritime Scholarships : Call for Applications

    Maritime Scholarships : Call for Applications

    A new educational opportunity has opened up for young Haitians interested in building careers in the maritime industry, after a partnership between Haiti’s National Institute for Vocational Training (INFP) and Martinique’s Maritime and Aquaculture Vocational Training School (EFPMA) created a fully funded scholarship program for eligible candidates.

    The program, which is set to begin coursework at EFPMA’s Martinique campus in October 2026, will train selected participants to earn a Maritime Vocational Aptitude Certificate (CAPM), a recognized professional credential that opens doors to entry-level and mid-level careers in the global maritime sector. INFP, which is coordinating the application process on behalf of the partnership, has officially opened the call for applications, targeting young Haitian residents between the ages of 18 and 30.

    To be considered for the scholarship, candidates must meet three core prerequisites: existing basic navigational skills, professional proficiency in French, and completion of a Baccalaureate II degree or its recognized educational equivalent. Applicants are required to submit a complete application package that includes a detailed curriculum vitae with all relevant supporting educational and professional documents, a personal letter of motivation explaining their career goals in the maritime sector, a valid national tax identification number, and the Haitian National Unique Identification Card (CINU). The only required document that can be submitted after the initial application deadline is the official medical certificate, which must be issued by a licensed physician approved by Haiti’s SEMANAH authority.

    There are two accepted channels for submitting applications: candidates can send their complete package to the official INFP email address infp.alecoute@infp.gouv.ht, or drop off physical copies in person at the INFP Human Resources office, located at 3 rue Saint Surin, Impasse Fremont, Pétion-Ville, along Route de Canapé-Vert in Haiti. All applicants submitting materials via email are required to include the phrase *Application for the EFPMA scholarship* in the subject line of their message to ensure their application is routed correctly for review.

    Following the closing of the application period, INFP and EFPMA program coordinators will review all submitted materials and select a shortlist of candidates for further screening and evaluation. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted via phone or mail to complete the next steps in the selection process. The firm deadline for all initial application submissions is August 15, 2026. More detailed information about EFPMA, its training programs, and the CAPM credential can be found on the school’s official website at https://www.efpma-martinique.com/.

  • Security : The United States lifts restrictions that limited its cooperation with the FAd’H

    Security : The United States lifts restrictions that limited its cooperation with the FAd’H

    After years of blocked bilateral defense collaboration, the United States has cleared a major hurdle to deeper military engagement with Haiti by lifting longstanding restrictions on cooperation with the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAd’H), a development that paves the way for expanded capacity building and professional training for Haitian military personnel.

  • Moscow : Haitian student Slanda François, detained in Russia, released

    Moscow : Haitian student Slanda François, detained in Russia, released

    After nine months of administrative detention in a Moscow immigration facility, two Haitian students have secured their release following a months-long cross-border diplomatic campaign led by Haitian foreign affairs authorities.

    Slanda François, one of the two detained students, was first taken into custody in October 2025 over immigration violations at the Temporary Detention Center for Foreign Citizens on Moscow’s Varshavskoye Shosse. The facility, located 64 kilometers outside the city center, routinely holds migrants who face deportation orders or administrative detention. She was joined in custody by Anne Betsaïna César, another Haitian student studying in Russia.

    Their release, confirmed on July 25, 2026, did not come easily. It was the culmination of a sustained diplomatic negotiation spearheaded by Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with critical backing from the Haitian Embassy based in Vietnam. Diplomatic teams worked for months to navigate Russian immigration protocols and coordinate logistics for the students’ departure, building a collaborative effort to secure the freedom of the two Haitian nationals.

    For the students and their loved ones, the announcement brings a long-awaited end to a stressful, uncertain period. Throughout their detention, both the students and their families held out hope for a positive resolution, a outcome that now paves the way for their long-awaited homecoming.

    While the release marks a major milestone, the journey back to Haiti is still underway. Current travel arrangements have the pair arriving in Cap-Haïtien on July 28, 2026, where they will finally reunite with family members who have waited nearly a year to see them. Haitian diplomatic officials have framed the successful outcome as a clear demonstration of how targeted diplomatic engagement and cross-border cooperation can deliver meaningful protection for Haitian citizens living and studying abroad. Negotiations are also ongoing to repatriate additional Haitian nationals detained in Moscow, according to prior reporting from Haitian outlets.

  • At UN, CARICOM requests the renewal of the GSF’s mandate in Haiti

    At UN, CARICOM requests the renewal of the GSF’s mandate in Haiti

    As Haiti moves forward with preparations for long-awaited democratic elections, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has formally petitioned the United Nations Security Council to extend the mandate of the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF), currently deployed to curb gang violence across the crisis-stricken nation.

    Addressing the Security Council in a statement delivered by a Jamaican diplomatic representative, CARICOM emphasized that the GSF is far from reaching its full operational capacity. As of the latest update, less than 20 percent of the force’s planned total personnel have been deployed, and its current mandate is set to expire at the end of September 2026. Renewing the mandate, the regional bloc argued, is an indispensable safeguard to prevent a catastrophic collapse of security, which would open the door to widespread instability and state fragmentation.

    First established under UN Security Council Resolution 2793, the GSF is a multinational security mission designed to reach a full strength of 5,550 uniformed personnel. Its core mandate is to disarm and neutralize the powerful armed gangs that have controlled large swathes of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, for years. Operating in close coordination with the Haitian National Police, the force works to secure critical state infrastructure and protect civilian populations from targeted violence and mass displacement. The mission was created to replace the earlier Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSSM), which was hampered by small troop numbers and chronic underfunding that left it unable to address the scope of Haiti’s security crisis.

    In its address, CARICOM acknowledged that incremental signs of progress have emerged on the ground in recent months, but warned that the overall security and humanitarian situation remains precarious. The bloc reaffirmed its deep concern over the ongoing multidimensional crisis that has crippled state institutions and left millions of Haitians in need of emergency assistance. It specifically highlighted the disproportionate impact of the crisis on Haiti’s most vulnerable groups, including women, girls and young people, who face heightened risks of gender-based violence, displacement and lack of access to basic services.

    CARICOM also commended the Haitian government’s ongoing efforts to lay the institutional and security groundwork for free, fair and peaceful elections, in partnership with regional and international stakeholders including the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS) and CARICOM itself. Despite the significant challenges facing the country, the bloc stressed that holding timely democratic elections remains a top priority for restoring stability, and reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to supporting Haiti’s long-term goal of consolidated democratic governance and constitutional order.

    Beyond security, CARICOM noted that regional leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding humanitarian assistance to meet the ongoing acute needs of the Haitian people, even amid the modest improvements recorded in some areas. The bloc called for accelerated international stabilization efforts, including a sharp increase in global humanitarian funding and a push to speed up the full deployment of the GSF to all high-risk areas. It also urged global financial institutions and the wider international financial community to deepen engagement with the Haitian government and local stakeholders to build a foundation for long-term stability.

    “Haiti deserves a future of peace, prosperity and democratic governance, a future deserving of every citizen in every country,” the statement concluded.

  • An American sentenced to 20 years in prison for complicity in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse

    An American sentenced to 20 years in prison for complicity in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse

    In a landmark ruling that closes another chapter in the investigation into the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, a U.S. federal judge sentenced 42-year-old Florida resident Keegan Harricharan to two decades in federal prison on July 23, 2026. The sentence comes after Harricharan pleaded guilty to running a pandemic relief fraud scheme that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund the plot that killed the Haitian leader.

    According to official announcements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Harricharan, a resident of Coral Springs, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to obtain more than $840,000 in U.S. Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans—federal funding designed to keep small businesses afloat amid the widespread economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than using the funds for the intended purpose, Harricharan diverted the taxpayer money to support a conspiracy to overthrow Haiti’s elected government, a plan that culminated in the July 2021 assassination of President Moïse by a team of mercenary commandos.

    Prosecutors detailed that Harricharan leveraged his private company, TNR Holding Group Inc., as a front to receive the fraudulent PPP funds and distribute the money to other co-conspirators involved in the assassination plot. Court documents and official statements confirm that Harricharan actively collaborated with his co-accused to coordinate every critical logistical step of the operation, from sourcing additional financing to acquiring weapons, ammunition, military equipment, and recruiting personnel to carry out the attack.

    “This defendant did more than just commit fraud,” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones emphasized in an official statement following the sentencing. “He exploited pandemic relief programs designed to support struggling small businesses during a national crisis and laundered those taxpayer-funded funds to contribute to a plot that resulted in the assassination of the Haitian president.”

    Harricharan’s sentencing marks the latest conviction in the U.S. investigation into Moïse’s assassination. Last May, a federal jury in Miami found four of Harricharan’s alleged accomplices—Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages—guilty of conspiracy and murder-related charges for their roles in the plot. With Harricharan’s conviction, a total of nine people have now been found guilty in U.S. federal court for their connections to the high-profile assassination that sent Haiti into a years-long period of political instability and chaos.

  • US Ambassador Henry Wooster’s Farewell Report and Press Conference

    US Ambassador Henry Wooster’s Farewell Report and Press Conference

    As Ambassador Henry Wooster prepares to leave his post in Port-au-Prince for a new assignment in Kenya just days after holding his final public address on July 23, 2026, he delivered a comprehensive reflection on his 12-month diplomatic mission in Haiti, breaking down Washington’s core priorities, ongoing bilateral cooperation, and long-term vision for the Caribbean nation.

    Having first served in Haiti 28 years prior to his return in June 2025, Wooster opened his remarks by paying tribute to the Haitian people, noting he continues to be moved by their remarkable resilience in the face of some of the most severe crises the country has faced in modern history.

    At the core of U.S. engagement in Haiti, Wooster emphasized, is the long-term goal of national stabilization. He drew a key distinction between two often conflated terms: security and stability. While the two concepts are connected, Wooster explained, security refers to the immediate operational conditions needed to enable safe, credible democratic elections. Stability, by contrast, is the lasting outcome built on legitimate public institutions, inclusive economic growth, and accountable governance. The sequential path, he argued, is to first establish foundational security, then build long-term stability — a two-step process that will create the conditions for Haiti’s economy to rebound, generate formal employment, allow children to resume in-person schooling, and restore consistent access to life-saving healthcare.

    Addressing the most pressing threat facing Haiti today — the expansion of violent terrorist gang networks that have challenged the very survival of the Haitian state — Wooster highlighted the work of U.S. diplomatic teams both in Port-au-Prince and Washington DC to coordinate international action. Through collaboration with global partners and the United Nations Security Council, the international community launched the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), a multinational security mission that includes deployed troops from Chad, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka. GSF launched its first territorial clearing operations last month, Wooster confirmed, reporting that the force has already detained suspected gang members for processing by Haiti’s National Police (HNP), seized and destroyed illegal weapons caches held by gangs, and reopened key blocked roads to reclaim territory on behalf of the Haitian government. He added that operations will scale up significantly over the summer and fall as additional deploying contingents arrive in country.

    While international security support provides critical time and space for Haitian institutions to rebuild, Wooster stressed that all long-term solutions must be led by Haitian national stakeholders. To build the capacity of domestic security forces, the U.S. Department of State’s P4000 program is currently supporting the HNP to recruit, train, and graduate 4,000 new uniformed officers by early 2027. Additionally, the U.S. Congress recently lifted long-standing restrictions on security cooperation with Haiti’s Armed Forces (FAd’H), clearing the way for institutional renewal. The Haitian government has made rebuilding the military a top priority, with new recruiting, training, and deployment cycles scheduled in the coming months.

    On the democratic governance front, Wooster welcomed the Haitian government’s public commitment to the Haitian people to restore full democratic rule. He noted that achieving this goal requires collective action across government leadership, private sector actors, and civil society organizations to root out corruption, end widespread impunity for violence and graft, and prioritize the public good over narrow interests.

    Wooster added that even robust security and governance reforms will not deliver lasting stability without expanded economic opportunity. Job creation, he argued, is not only critical for the survival of individual Haitian households, but also provides vulnerable young Haitians with an alternative to recruitment by violent terrorist gangs. He called on Haiti’s private sector to lead national economic recovery efforts, noting that sustained growth strong enough to lift the country out of its ongoing humanitarian crisis will require every business operating at full capacity to expand the nation’s economic base.

    In closing, Wooster reaffirmed that the United States remains the largest single bilateral donor to Haiti, with more than $800 million in active ongoing assistance programs. In 2026 alone, the U.S. has contributed $125 million to the OCHA-managed Humanitarian Pooled Fund, alongside an additional $24 million for emergency food assistance and $11 million to support post-hurricane reconstruction and recovery. “A stable Haiti supports everyone’s interests: Haitian, American, and all nations across the region,” Wooster concluded before opening the floor for questions from reporters.

  • Leisure : Did you know ? #44

    Leisure : Did you know ? #44

    HaitiLibre, one of Haiti’s leading local news and information platforms, has launched a popular twice-weekly general knowledge quiz segment called “Did You Know?”, designed to help readers deepen their understanding of Haitian culture, history, and natural heritage. In the 44th installment of the series, published on July 23, 2026, the feature poses a question that many casual observers of Haitian life may not know the answer to: What is Haiti’s official national flower?

    The answer reveals the hibiscus, scientifically named *Hibiscus rosa-sinensis* and widely known locally by its Haitian Creole name “Choublack”, holds the honor of being the country’s national floral emblem. More than just a decorative plant, the hibiscus carries deep meaning for Haitian national identity, symbolizing both the striking natural beauty of the Caribbean island and the enduring vitality of its people.

    This hardy, colorful plant grows across every region of Haiti, thriving everywhere from small rural family gardens to compact urban courtyards. Its blooms display a vivid spectrum of warm hues, from brilliant crimson to soft orange-yellow, bringing bright pops of color to communities across the country. Beyond its visual appeal, the hibiscus plays an important role in traditional Haitian culture: its petals are commonly harvested for use in folk medicine, valued for their natural soothing properties, and often brewed into refreshing herbal infusions enjoyed by locals.

    As a national symbol, the hibiscus also stands as a quiet marker of the Haitian people’s well-documented resilience in the face of ongoing social and environmental challenges. Preserving the habitats where this native plant grows is critical to maintaining this important cultural symbol for future generations. Planting hibiscus also delivers tangible ecological benefits: the flowering plant attracts key pollinators including butterflies and hummingbirds, helping to support and strengthen the balance of Haiti’s local ecosystems.

    This fact was shared as part of the official answer key for the latest quiz segment hosted on HaitiLibre’s dedicated QuizHaitiLibre platform, which launched to public interest earlier this year. The platform has expanded rapidly since its debut, with a monthly update cycle that adds new content on a regular basis. On July 1, 2026, the platform added 31 new quiz games, pushing its total catalog of interactive content to 180 unique games covering a wide range of topics.

    Designed to be accessible to learners of all ages and backgrounds, QuizHaitiLibre’s games are completely free to access and do not require users to register for an account to play. Every game offers three tiered difficulty levels—easy, intermediate, and hard—to suit different knowledge bases, and the entire platform is available in both French and English to serve a diverse audience. Topics covered extend beyond Haitian culture and natural history to include global general knowledge, giving curious users the chance to explore a wide range of subjects and test their existing knowledge.

    HaitiLibre encourages users to explore the platform, share it with family and friends, and submit feedback through a dedicated form available at the end of each quiz. The platform’s team emphasizes that the core goal of the segment is to encourage lifelong learning: even if users do not know an answer when they start a quiz, the segment gives them the chance to discover new facts and expand their general knowledge to share with their communities.

  • BRH : Analysis of the macroeconomic and financial situation and outlook for monetary policy (video)

    BRH : Analysis of the macroeconomic and financial situation and outlook for monetary policy (video)

    On July 21, 2026, Ronald Gabriel, the Governor of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), hosted a public press conference to deliver a comprehensive assessment of the country’s current macroeconomic and financial landscape, while outlining the central bank’s upcoming monetary policy direction.

    During the briefing, Gabriel outlined a series of key positive gains that the Haitian financial sector has achieved in recent years. Most notably, the country has sustained a steady disinflation trend that has eased cost pressures for households and businesses. In addition, the national exchange rate has held nearly three years of consistent stability, a rare and critical achievement for a small developing economy facing ongoing structural challenges. The central bank has also built up stronger international reserve buffers to shield against external economic shocks, while the domestic banking system has demonstrated unexpected resilience through periods of uncertainty.

    Beyond reviewing current economic conditions, the BRH governing board also walked through the central bank’s ongoing priority projects. These include a sweeping initiative to modernize Haiti’s outdated national payment system, upgrades to banking regulatory frameworks to improve oversight and risk management, and targeted structural reforms to crack down on money laundering and terrorist financing. The central bank has also prioritized expanding access to financial services for unbanked communities and boosting access to affordable capital for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of Haiti’s informal and formal economy.

    A key topic of discussion during the conference was the progress Haiti has made on its action plan to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, a designation that has restricted the country’s access to global financial markets in recent years. The governing board noted that ongoing reforms have put the country on track to meet FATF’s requirements, though work remains to solidify those gains.

    Looking ahead, the BRH leadership emphasized that long-term economic growth and stability remain tightly tied to improvements in Haiti’s fragile security situation. Despite ongoing headwinds, Gabriel reaffirmed the central bank’s unwavering commitment to maintaining a prudent monetary policy framework, continuing to advance macroeconomic stability, and rebuilding public and investor confidence in Haiti’s domestic financial system.

  • FLASH : The US Senate rejects the Democrat Bill to extend TPS

    FLASH : The US Senate rejects the Democrat Bill to extend TPS

    In a high-stakes vote that has upended the fate of more than 300,000 Haitian residents in the United States, Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan Democratic-backed bill on July 22, 2026, that would have extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian beneficiaries for an additional three years.

    The legislation, which had already cleared the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year through a bipartisan process, was brought to the Senate floor by Democratic Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Lisa Blunt Rochester, who requested unanimous consent to advance the bill. The attempt failed after Missouri’s radical right Republican Senator Eric Schmitt placed a block on the measure, just two days before TPS protections for current Haitian enrollees were set to expire on July 24, 2026.

    Schmitt defended his opposition in hardline remarks, arguing that the U.S. cannot function as an open-ended refugee camp and that what he framed as unauthorized residency requires immediate enforcement to remove individuals who have overstayed their permission to live in the country. This rejection marks a major setback for immigrant advocacy groups, which had pushed for the extension as Haiti continues to grapple with widespread political instability, gang violence, and natural disasters that make safe return impossible for most of the TPS holders.

    The bill’s path to the Senate followed a bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives back in April 2026, when House Democrats joined with a handful of House Republicans to advance the same extension proposal. That bipartisan momentum failed to translate to Senate approval, however, as partisan divisions over immigration policy derailed the legislation.

    Hours after the Senate’s rejection, the Federal Court of Appeals based in Washington stepped in to grant a temporary reprieve for the Haitian TPS holders facing imminent loss of their protections and work authorization. The court’s ruling ordered that all existing TPS protections for Haitian beneficiaries cannot be revoked before July 27, 2026, extending the status just long enough to align with the scheduled expiration of current work permits.

    The legal intervention offers only a short-term reprieve, leaving long-term uncertainty for the more than 300,000 Haitian residents who have relied on TPS to live and work legally in the U.S. for years. The outcome also adds to a years-long legal and political battle over TPS, which stretches back to a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that allowed the former Trump administration to move forward with revoking the protected status for Haitian enrollees.