**Antony Blinken arrived in Port-au-Prince to meet with Haiti’s transitional government amid ongoing gang violence.**
**Published on September 6, 2024**
**Secretary of State Antony Blinken has traveled to Haiti to demonstrate U.S. support for a multinational effort to address gang violence in the Caribbean nation.**
Blinken arrived in Port-au-Prince on Thursday, where he met with interim Prime Minister Garry Conille and announced a new surge of humanitarian aid.
**Keep reading:**
- *Photos: As UN-backed forces arrive, Haitians wait for normality to return*
- *Photos: More Kenyan police deploy to tackle Haiti violence*
- *Haitian women and girls face ‘alarming’ violence in displacement camps: UN*
At this critical juncture, Blinken emphasized the need for additional funding and personnel to sustain and achieve the mission's objectives. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, vast areas of Haiti, including an estimated 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, have come under gang control. The Haitian government has faced significant challenges in restoring order and addressing its own crisis of legitimacy.
**US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, and Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille address the press at the US Chief of Mission Residence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti [Roberto Schmidt/Pool via AP Photo].**
Just one day before Blinken's visit, Haiti's interim government expanded its state of emergency to cover the entire country, as violence spreads across all 10 departments. Previously, the emergency measures had only applied to the Ouest department, where Port-au-Prince is located.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Garry Conille noted that the broader declaration reflects escalating gang conflicts in other areas, such as Artibonite, a major rice-growing region.
According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced a record 578,074 people in 2024, marking the largest internal, crime-driven displacement crisis globally. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, an estimated 2,500 individuals were killed or injured due to the violence.
In response, Kenya has sent a total of 400 police officers to Haiti so far, with a final expected contingent of 1,000. Despite this effort, Blinken cautioned that the Kenyan forces alone might not be sufficient to address the gang violence. He and other US officials have suggested that a UN peacekeeping force may be necessary.
**Antony Blinken, top right, and Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille addressed the press about the ongoing challenges to peace in Haiti [Roberto Schmidt/Pool via AP Photo].**
During his visit, Blinken emphasized that the first step was to ensure continued international support for the Kenyan forces deployed under the Multinational Security Support Mission, approved last October for a one-year term. Blinken called for the UN to reconvene and extend the mission.
“We need to renew the mission,” Blinken stated. “We’re working on that now, but we also want a reliable and sustainable solution, and a UN peacekeeping mission is one option we’re considering.” The US has been the mission’s largest financial supporter, with President Joe Biden’s administration pledging $360 million.
An additional $45 million in humanitarian aid to Haiti was announced on Thursday.
Blinken also stressed the importance of establishing a stable, democratically elected government. He urged Haitian officials to prepare for new general elections next year, stating, “That is the critical next step. We want to ensure Haiti is back on a clear democratic track.”
Haiti has not held federal elections since before President Moïse’s assassination. The last democratically elected officials reached their term limits in January 2023, leaving the country under the administration of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was appointed by Moïse shortly before his death. Henry, an unelected official, faced widespread unpopularity, leading local gangs to exploit the government's instability to expand their power.
Henry stepped down in April, paving the way for a transitional council to restore democratic norms.
“Much remains to be done, and we’re determined to continue,” Blinken concluded. “Progress is being made.”
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