Actualité

Haiti’s government opened a 10-day registration period Monday for political parties to run in an upcoming general election, a critical step for a country that hasn’t held one in more than a decade as deadly gang violence persists. Heavily armed soldiers and police surrounded the headquarters of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council as a handful of political operatives for long-established parties picked up the necessary paperwork.

Fin 2024, le quartier de Solino, à Port-au-Prince, est tombé aux mains des gangs. Pillages, incendies, affrontements : des centaines d’habitants ont fui pour échapper aux violences. En août dernier, les groupes armés ont annoncé leur retraite. Depuis, timidement, des familles reviennent. Elles retrouvent des maisons détruites et un climat sécuritaire toujours fragile. Malgré les promesses gouvernementales, l’aide tarde à arriver. Les habitants n’ont d’autres choix que de reconstruire seuls.

Buried in the long speech to the Congress last Friday, 27 February 2026 was the announcement of an initiative to open several “dry ports” along the border with Haiti. These are basically container (multi-modal) and logistical hubs as well as customs stations, but removed from the sea. President Luis Abinader’s announcement on 27 February 2026 specifically highlighted a network of dry ports acting as an “economic wall” on the border.

The Dominican Federation of Merchants and the Association of Border Exporters of Cement and Construction Materials held a strategic meeting aimed at strengthening trade ties with Haiti while promoting sustainable development in border communities.

“There is no credible electoral registry, no functioning political party system and no real capacity to organise a vote that would be recognised as legitimate,” said Eduardo Gamarra, a professor at Florida International University. “A reliable voter roll is the foundation of any democratic process.” Beyond the technical obstacles lies the issue of impunity. “The United States, Canada and the United Nations have sanctioned prominent Haitian political and business figures accused of financing armed groups,” Chantal argued. “Yet none of them have been prosecuted. If those who finance and arm these groups are never held accountable, it becomes very difficult to dismantle the system.”