Story by Antonio Gomez, photograph curtesy of pbs.org

40% of Haitians require humanitarian assistance; this includes access to clean water, sanitation, food security, and natural disaster response. In times of crisis, citizens look towards their country’s leaders to be proactive in their terms, but what happens when leaders fail them and those terms don’t end when they should? Haiti answers that question by taking to the streets.

President Jovenel Moïse has been taking lead in the country since November 2016. He was meant to be sworn in on February 7th of 2016, but election fraud pushed that date back nine months. Because of the political turmoil, Moïse was not officially sworn in until February 2017 and, according to Al Jazeera, most legal experts and civil society groups agree that Moïse’s term ended last month. However, Moïse and his supporters are convinced that his term ends in February of 2022. Since last month, claims of power consolidation have run rampant since the president has not stepped down and substantial action has not been taken from the accompanying prime minister.

The damages incurred are not limited to political stability. Sadly, hundreds of politically charged kidnappings occurred throughout 2020; since the beginning of the protests, 184 civilians were killed, with countless more injured. Corruption stands as one of the most prominent perpetrators of these events. Human Rights Watch reported frequent police complicity as two senior government officials were charged and 98 more were investigated. Boundaries are no longer present when the authorities collaborate outside of the law. Yet, inside the pre-existing bounds of government, the situation is also dire. Moïse has consolidated power in the courts by removing judges and soliciting his followers’ loyalty; as a result, the judicial system is unreliable. Overcrowded prisons paired with unbearable conditions have been the trend.

In the face of these challenges, protestors have made progress by contesting politicians affiliated with Moïse, garnering the support of other nations and organizations. Haiti's current protests are a reminder of the importance of activism in the face of adversity. Furthermore, the events that unfolded illustrate the sensitivity of our political systems. Knowing what is really going on both within and beyond one’s national borders is the essential first step towards protecting our countries’ values and holding our leaders accountable.