FBI agents supporting the investigation into President Jovenel Moise’s assassination leave his residence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on July 15, 2021.
RICARDO ARDUENGO | REUTERS
President Joe Biden said Thursday that the US has no plans to send troops to Haiti following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.
“We only send American Marines to our embassy to make sure they are safe and nothing goes wrong. But the idea of sending American troops to Haiti is currently not on the agenda, ”said Biden at a joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.
Haitian officials last week called on the US to deploy troops to protect critical infrastructure in the Caribbean following the president’s assassination. Biden’s remarks confirm earlier reports by White House officials that the US is not planning to deploy troops.
Mathias Pierre, Haiti’s election minister, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he believed the demand for US troops was still relevant. He stated that in 120 days Haiti must create a safe environment for the upcoming elections.
“This is not a locked door. How the situation evolves will determine the outcome,” Pierre told AP. “In the meantime, the government is doing everything it can to stabilize the country, return to a normal environment and organize elections while trying to reach political agreement with most of the political parties.”
Moise was shot dead by a group of armed men last week at his private residence in Port-au-Prince, fueling political unrest in the Caribbean nation, already plagued by gang violence and protests against the late president’s increasingly authoritarian rule.
