According to Jonathan Hatwell, head of the EEAS Division for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, the European Union (EU) has no plans to send an intervention force to Haiti. Hatwell reassured that the European Union agrees that the international community should aid in restoring Haiti’s security conditions, which are in danger due to the actions of the gangs vying for control of the region. According to Diario Libre, he said, “What is happening there is a tragic situation from a humanitarian point of view because the consequences, first and foremost, are suffered by the Haitian population.”
He assured that he shares the Dominican Republic’s perspective that, even though the crisis in Haiti “is very complex,” improving security should be the top priority because, without it, he believed, advancement in humanitarian issues, program implementation, and politics cannot be made. After the assassination of the country’s former president Jovenel Moise last year, Haiti’s sociopolitical and economic situation became more unstable. In addition, cholera, a disease that has claimed the lives of 37 people, has returned. In response, the EU provided a grant of one million euros for interventions, increased surveillance, assistance in reactivating health structures, and improved mechanisms for detection and response.
The strengthening of Haiti’s national police, which lacks the personnel and equipment to take on the gangs, is the only option if an international intervention is to be avoided, according to Hatwell. Jonathan Hatwell says that the European Union is considering contributing to the support fund that the United Nations Organization established for this last point.