Royal Caribbean Suspends Stops in Haiti as Precaution Due to Civil Unrest
Royal Caribbean International is suspending stops at its private destination in Haiti saying that it is a precautionary step in response to the recent escalation of violence in the Caribbean nation. It is the only cruise line to call in Haiti but took the action after the country’s embattled prime minister agreed to step down and the United States and United Nations called for all their citizens and aid workers to immediately leave the country.
Haiti has been plagued with years of violence and lawlessness with parts of the major cities controlled by gangs. The situation however flared up in recent weeks including efforts by the gangs to storm the facilities at Port-au-Prince and the country’s main airport.
Royal Caribbean limits its calls to a private port called Labadee on the north coast of the country. It is located more than 100 miles north of Port-au-Prince. The cruise line acquired rights to approximately 200 acres in 1986 and created a private enclave behind a security fence for passengers from its cruise ships. Royal Caribbean’s premium brand Celebrity Cruises also makes some calls at Labadee.
It started as a beach destination with a popular BBQ. Over the years, Royal Caribbean however has transformed its private destinations into amusement parks and revenue generators. Today it features everything from a zip line and coaster ride to villas that rent by the day. A small number of Haitians are employed at the enclave which is protected by private security, but it is largely isolated from the country.
“Due to the evolving situation in Haiti, and in an abundance of caution, we're temporarily suspending our visits to Labadee for our entire fleet,” the company said in a written statement. On social media CEO Michael Bayley’s account said it was for the next seven days.
Earlier in the week Royal Caribbean began canceling shore excursions which include water rides and fishing trips as well as issuing a general safety warning. Passengers are now being told that their cruises will either replace the private destination with a day at sea, extended stops in other ports such as Falmouth on Jamacia, or some cases add new destinations such as Grand Turk, a port in the Turks and Caicos normally a port primarily used for Carnival Corporation’s ships.
Royal Caribbean has had to suspend stops at Labadee in the past due to weather-related issues or unrest in the country. They have been criticized for continuing calls at the country in periods such as after the devastating earthquake but responded by saying they were carrying relief supplies to the island.
Kenya confirms security mission to Haiti as transitional administration plans collapse
Kenya's President William Ruto has reportedly confirmed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that plans to send a security mission to Haiti are going ahead, as moves to create a transitional presidential council in Port-au-Prince appear to have collapsed.
Issued on: 14/03/2024 -
Secretary of State Blinken said Wednesday that President Ruto confirmed plans to send a Kenyan-led security mission to Haiti and expected progress in the coming days on a transitional council, although any moves towards finding political consensus in Porte-au-Prince appear to have failed.
Kenya has offered to lead a security mission – largely funded by the United States and Canada – to violence-ravaged Haiti but said the mission was on hold after Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned on Monday in a deal pushed by Caribbean leaders and the United States.UN warns of increasing gang violence in Haiti amid calls for Kenya-led peace mission
Confirming an account by Ruto, Blinken said he spoke to the Kenyan leader by telephone and discussed a transitional council that was being formed to name a new prime minister ahead of elections.
Ruto "confirmed Kenya's preparedness to lead that mission just as soon as this new council is stood up – which we believe will happen in the next couple of days – and an interim president is elected," Blinken said.
Blinken acknowledged the challenges ahead for Haiti, where public order has broken down and armed gangs control most of the capital.
No agreement on transition plan
However, the proposal to install new leadership in Haiti appeared to be crumbling by Wednesday evening, as some political parties rejected the plan to create a presidential council that would manage the transition.
The plan entails the creation of a panel that would be responsible for selecting an interim prime minister and a council of ministers that would attempt to chart a new path for the country that has been overrun by criminal gangs.
The violence has closed schools and businesses and disrupted daily life across the Caribbean nation, leaving dozens dead.Africa-led mission to Haiti 'urgently needed', according to the UN
Jean Charles Moïse, an ex-senator and presidential candidate who has teamed up with former rebel leader Guy Philippe, held a news conference Wednesday to announce his rejection of the proposed council backed by the international community.
Moïse has insisted that a three-person presidential council he recently created with Philippe and a Haitian judge should be implemented.
His ally, Philippe, who helped lead a successful revolt in 2004 against former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and was recently released from a United States prison after pleading guilty to money laundering, said no Haitian should accept any proposal from the international community.
Philippe accused the international community of being complicit with Haiti's elite and corrupt politicians and urged Haitians to take to the streets.
Other high-profile Haitian politicians also declined to participate in the proposed transitional council.
Haitian PM in exile
Caribbean leaders who announced the plan for the transitional council have not yet responded to the impasse.
The transition proposal emerged late Monday, following a meeting involving Caribbean leaders, US Secretary of State Blinken and others who are searching for a solution to halt Haiti’s violence.
Hours after the meeting, Henry announced Tuesday that he would resign once the council was in place, saying that his government "cannot remain insensitive to this situation.”
Henry remains locked out of Haiti because gang attacks have shuttered the country’s airports.
He is currently in Puerto Rico.
Florida Prepares for Wave of Marite Migration From Haiti
As Haiti's beleaguered security forces fight to keep criminal gangs from taking over the country, the state of Florida is taking measures to prepare for a potential wave of maritime migration. Haitian nationals regularly try to make the dangerous crossing to Florida, and thousands are intercepted by the Coast Guard every year - but the surge in violence and hunger in Haiti is widely expected to boost the rate of the exodus.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis announced Wednesday that he has dispatched another 250 state personnel to protect South Florida from maritime migrants. The force is made up of members of law enforcement, disaster response agencies and Florida's State Guard.
"No state has done more to supplement the (under-resourced) U.S. Coast Guard’s interdiction efforts; we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida," said DeSantis in a statement.
Once intercepted by Florida officials, though, it is unclear whether the migrants will be deported back to Haiti. The security situation is so severe that human rights groups have called for a temporary ban on repatriation.
In testimony before the House Armed Services committee, a top Pentagon official acknowledged that more migrants could be on the way.
"At the moment, we have not yet seen large numbers, what we would characterize as maritime mass migration," said Rebecca Zimmerman, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs. "We are alert to that possibility . . . that the driving conditions in Haiti could very well press more people. We recently approved some additional assistance we could provide to the Coast Guard."
In addition to headline-grabbing levels of violence, Haiti faces a silent threat: hunger. Its main seaport has been shuttered by the threat of gang attacks, and shelves are running empty in the nation's markets. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned Tuesday that Haiti is approaching crisis levels of hunger, and that the violence is grinding aid operations to a halt. Even the WFP's prepositioned stocks in Port-au-Prince are unreachable due to fighting.
“We need to ensure security comes back to the country. We need the port to reopen and stocks to be replenished," WFP country director Jean-Martin Bauer said.
No comments:
Post a Comment