Caribbean leaders convene to address security situation in Haiti

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday traveled to Jamaica to meet with heads of government from the Caribbean region, according to a U.S. Department of State release. Blinken will be arriving in Kingston for the summit, which seeks to address the gang violence sprawling across Haiti. Chairman of CARICOM H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said in a video statement Friday that Haiti and its regional partners needed to address the “dire” humanitarian situation inside its borders. Meanwhile, Haiti’s government has declared a month-long state of emergency in the country.

What is this meeting going to try to accomplish? Ali said that the meeting would seek to promote cooperation at the “highest level as possible” between Haiti and other Caribbean countries, and it would seek to bring “critical support” to the Haitian people. He said the leaders would not stop working until they had achieved a “satisfactory resolution” for the people of Haiti.

What is the United States doing for its citizens in Haiti? The U.S. Embassy in Haiti said it was organizing the departure of all additional staff from the embassy. The embassy had also said its offices would remain open, even amid “heightened gang violence.”

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about one missionary staying in Haiti even as the country crumbles.