Highlights
– Violent protests over rising food prices have resulted in the death of at least six
– Demand for accountability forced Prime Minister from office
– While law and order has largely returned, international aid and long-term solutions must be accepted by the public to avoid further violence
As seen in the protests erupting in Egypt, Indonesia and Mauritania, rising food costs and increasing shortages have become an international issue. Within Haiti, the sharp rise in the cost of rice has led to over three weeks of violent protests and the ousting of Prime Minister (PM) Jaques Edouard Alexis. Peacekeeping forces have begun to return order in the short-term, but long-term solutions will be required to dispel further violence. International assistance to Haiti will be necessary in the mid-term, as the price of food has risen nearly 40 percent within the country since 2007. Haiti lacks a strong infrastructure and solid agricultural industries, relying heavily on donations in recent years.
Further governmental change is unlikely in the near-term, as an ease in violence will allow officials to strategize and present long-term solutions. However, if international aid is not administered effectively throughout the citizenry, and governmental pledges for solutions are not accepted in the coming weeks by the public, the potential for large scale violence will likely return.
Recent Violence
Protests, concentrated largely in the capital of Port-au-Prince, began in the start of April 2008. Since that time, at least six people have been killed, including a Nigerian riot control officer and member of the nearly 9,000-strong United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force. As clashes with UN peacekeepers and police continued, protesters began looting abandoned stores in the capital. Smaller-scale violence and looting was also reported in the southern city of Les Cayes, Cap Haitien and Ouanaminthe. Inhibited by a lack of an effective police force throughout the nation, the containment of protests took a number of days.
Haitian President Rene Preval approved plans for subsidized rice one week following the start of the violence, however the announcement did little to curb the current instability. This pledge will ultimately lower the price of a 50-lb. bag of rice from US$51 to US$43. However, small-scale confrontations at marketplaces were reported on April 15 and April 16, 2008, as some vendors failed to mark down prices as instructed.
Protests Call for Governmental Change
Days of violence eventually culminated in the storming of the National Palace by protestors on April 8, 2008. Protestors demanded the resignation of Preval to account for the rising food costs. However, the Haitian Senate instead voted to terminate PM Alexis, indicating a move to compromise with the people. Alexis was a close ally to Preval, and his dismissal illustrates high dissatisfaction with the overall central government.
On April 16, 2008, a number of protestors in Port-au-Prince offered an alternative solution for governmental change, calling for the return of exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A small group of demonstrators chanted “Aristide or Death” outside the parliament building in the capital. While the protesters claim to be acting on Aristide’s orders, it is unlikely he set up the demonstrations from exile in South Africa, and statements such as these reiterate the population’s discontent with the ruling government leaders. While there is precedent for Aristide to return to power as a coup forced him from the presidency in 1991 and he was subsequently re-instated in 1994, the renewed calls for his return are largely nostalgic rhetoric for more peaceful times.
International Attention
The international community also took notice of the growing unrest. On April 11, 2008, the United States government issued a travel warning due to the unrest, and urged American citizens to consider leaving the country. US embassy operations in Haiti were also suspended.
To address the food crisis, the World Bank has promised to send US$10 million in food assistance. France has also pledged US$1.6 million, including US$1.2 million worth of food, while Venezuela has announced it will provide 364 tons of food.
Members of the UN force have also taken a direct role in food distribution, as Brazilian troops who are part of the contingent delivered rice, beans and sugar flown in from Brazil. Beginning on April 18, 2008, The UN also began distributing 8,000 tons of food delivered from the World Food Program. However, the donated food proved inadequate to feed hundreds who arrived at each distribution center on April 19; many were turned away after supplies were depleted.
Future Outlook
Governmental changes are likely to cease in the near-term, as new pledges of international aid begin to stabilize the nation. Citizens seem currently appeased with the removal of PM Alexis, and President Preval will likely remain in office unless the situation begins to once again deteriorate. Additionally, UN peacekeepers are likely to remain in the nation in the near-term, until concrete solutions are established.
During this short-term cooling of tensions, President Preval will likely select a new prime minister and begin to determine long-term solutions to the food price situation. However, if the situation worsens, Senators may succumb to citizen pressure and vote for Preval’s removal as well. If this were to occur, significant political instability in Haiti is likely in the near to mid-term, resulting in violence in Port-au-Prince, and to a lesser extent, slowly filtering to other areas of the nation as well.