As Haiti plunges deeper into chaos, grappling with historic levels of anarchy, the world watches with bated breath, grappling to comprehend the unfolding turmoil in the already impoverished nation.
Haiti, nestled in the Caribbean on the island of Hispaniola, shares its borders with the Dominican Republic and encompasses approximately 27,560 sq km of land, inhabited by a population of about 10.8 million people.
The saga unfolds against the backdrop of the assassination of former President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021. Preceding this tragic event, intriguing occurrences marked the political landscape. In March 2021, a tweet from the Russian Foreign Ministry forewarned of heightened political instability and an unprecedented socio-economic crisis in Haiti. It extended an offer of assistance to restore stability and security, echoing concerns over Haiti’s precarious state.
Fast forward to June 2021, President Moise warmly welcomed the Russian Federation’s new ambassador, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, signaling burgeoning bilateral relations. However, within a month, Moise met a grim fate, succumbing to a hail of bullets in his private quarters. Speculation swirled, implicating a motley crew of Haitian Americans, nationals, and former Colombian soldiers in a failed kidnapping attempt preceding the assassination. Allegations of clandestine meetings with Russians in Turkey further muddied the waters, fueling conspiracy theories.
Moise’s assassination sparked nationwide mourning and widespread unrest, with accusations hurled at perceived imperialist forces, notably the United States. Amid the chaos, American President Joe Biden swiftly endorsed Prime Minister Ariel Henry as Moise’s successor, a move met with fervent opposition from disillusioned Haitians.
The swift transition to Henry’s leadership, under the auspices of American backing, exacerbated anti-US sentiment, already simmering within Haiti’s populace. Protests swelled, reaching a crescendo as Haitian demonstrators unfurled Russian flags—a stark departure from previous allegiances.
Boaz Anglade, in a poignant analysis for Haitian publication AyiboPost, illuminates a burgeoning pro-Russian sentiment, previously confined to the fringes of society. He notes a paradigm shift, attributing the widespread embrace of Russian symbols to a perceived defiance against US imperialism, transcending ideological boundaries.
As Haiti grapples with the aftershocks of Moise’s assassination and the specter of an uncertain future looms large, the convergence of geopolitical forces and internal strife portends a turbulent trajectory for the embattled nation.