Anthony Franck Laurent Saint-Cyr, the current head of Haiti’s Presidential Transitional Council, proclaimed that it is not the time for the world to feel “Haiti fatigue” and called for increased support against violent criminal gangs in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Thursday.
Saint-Cyr took office as the current head of Haiti’s transitional council in August. It is a rotating position for the nine-member council that acts as the head of the barely functional Haitian executive.
Throughout his speech at the U.N., Saint-Cyr described the current situation in Haiti as a “country at war, a contemporary Guernica,” and a “human tragedy on America’s doorstep.”
“It must be said: In Haiti, a war is being waged. A war between criminals who want to impose violence as the social order and an unarmed population fighting to preserve human dignity and freedom. The response must be firm and resolute,” Saint-Cyr said.
“Today, the international community must stand alongside Haiti and deploy significant resources — no half-measures, but strong, coordinated, and immediate action. Silence or inaction is not an option,” he continued. “We must act quickly; to protect lives, restore innocence to children, offer a future to young people, and allow citizens to decide their future at the ballot box.”
The head of the transitional council paid tribute to the Haitian law enforcement officials and members of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) who have been killed in action in the ongoing fight against the country’s violent gangs, deeming the fallen officers heroes. Saint-Cyr asserted that only “about a thousand” of the 2,500 “initially required and promised” international law enforcement officials are presently on the ground. Although he acknowledged their bravery, “combined with our own efforts,” he said they have not succeeded at containing the violence in Haiti.
“We must face the facts. Haiti is at the epicenter of an unprecedented regional threat. Powerful and heavily armed criminal networks are seeking to destabilize the country and dominate the economies of our entire common space. The new front line in this fight is here, in Haiti. If we fail to confront them on our soil, it will be illusory to contain them elsewhere in the region,” he said.
“That is why we must show the same determination, the same resolve, and the same unity that we have shown in the fight against terrorism. Haiti cannot, and will not, be able to meet such a challenge alone,” he continued, before calling for a robust force “with a clear mandate” and adequate resources, as well as enhanced international cooperation to stop the flow of weapons, ammunition, drugs, and financing to the local gangs.
Saint-Cyr urged members of the United Nations Security Council to vote in favor of a resolution that calls for the creation of a “Gang Suppression Force” to fight against the violent Haitian gangs.
He also thanked the United States and Panama for presenting the initiative and described it as a “decisive turning point in the fight against the insecurity that is suffocating our nation.” Saint-Cyr extended his gratitude to President Donald Trump and his administration for his ongoing efforts in supporting and providing gang-fighting resources to Haiti.
Much like former transitional council President Edgard Leblanc Fils did in 2024, Saynt-Cyr demanded France pay “reparations” to Haiti for the “ransom” of its independence. The reparations, he claimed, are not demanded in a “spirit of revenge or acrimony, but out of a concern for justice and truth.”
Saint-Cyr asserted that the Haitian presidential transition council is working closely with the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Kenya-led MSS, and the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) to prepare “free, transparent, and inclusive” elections. Haiti has not had a president since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in July 2021.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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