Blinken Says US To Give Another $133 Mn For Crisis-hit Haiti - UrduPoint

Source: UrduPoint

Kingston, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Mar, 2024) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday promised another $133 million to support Haiti, saying the spiraling crisis showed the urgency of deploying a multinational force.

Addressing an emergency Caribbean conference in Jamaica, Blinken said the United States would commit another $100 million to the forthcoming Multinational Security Support Mission plus an immediate $33 million in humanitarian aid, bringing total US pledges for Haiti during the years-long crisis to $333 million.

Haiti has been plagued for decades by grinding poverty, natural disasters and political instability but things got much worse since the assassination of president Jovenel Moise in 2021. Well-armed gangs that control much of the country and most of the capital have been on a rampage since last week.

The escalating violence "creates an untenable situation for the Haitian people, and we all know that urgent action is needed both on the political and security tracks," Blinken said.

"Only the Haitian people can determine their own future -- not anyone else," Blinken said.

But he said that the United States and its partners "can help restore foundational security" and address "the tremendous suffering that Haitians are suffering.