the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Aug 5, 2024
This article is translated from the July 27 issue, #1332 of Combat Ouvrier (Workers Fight), the paper of the Trotskyist group of that name active in Guadeloupe and Martinique, two islands that are French overseas departments in the Caribbean.
More than 40 migrants lost their lives on July 17 when their boat caught fire north of Haiti, not far from Cap-Haitien, the country’s second largest city. The coast guard rescued around 40 survivors, seven of whom were seriously burned.
The migrants were on an overloaded makeshift boat, attempting to reach the Turk and Caicos Islands, 150 miles away. The number of attempts and departures of migrants by boat has been on the rise since the upsurge in violence at the end of February, and has not changed since the appointment of a new government in June.
In the provinces, as in the north around Cap-Haitien, farmers are no longer producing, and small traders are no longer circulating. In the capital, in the industrial zone businesses are closed. Inhabitants of working-class neighborhoods are struggling to survive. They are the first to suffer the consequences of insecurity and lack of food, exacerbated by the violence of the gangs that control 80% of the capital and the country’s main roads.
Fleeing gang violence, over 600,000 displaced people across the country are seeking shelter. Some are attempting to leave by sea, as the border with the Dominican Republic is closed. But they face a new obstacle, a “security cordon” set up by countries in the region, which have turned back more than 86,000 Haitians since the beginning of the year.
Since the departure of Prime Minister Henry in June, the transitional authorities have been supported by a multinational mission. A second contingent of 200 Kenyan police officers has arrived, bringing the total to 400. So far, the first contingent has not carried out any operations against the gangs, apart from joint patrols with the National Police.
The hard-working population can only rely on its own strength and organization to cope with the violence it has to endure.