The Republic of Haiti has been in a state of unrest since the death of its President, Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Due to the continued unrest The Bahamas embassy was closed and personnel evacuated on March 23rd, 2024.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Fred Mitchell spoke with ZNS News about the reopening of the embassy and present conditions in the island nation. He said, “we’ve had the advice that things are moving in the right direction and there is no imminent threat. Commercial traffic has started going back to the airport in Port-Au-Prince, Bahamasair has been flying into Cap-Haitien all along so the conditions are there for the embassy to function without any apparent threat to our personnel. We wouldn’t send them back if that were the case.”

After the resignation of former Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry in April, CARICOM announced the establishment of a Transitional Presidential Council. The Council was sworn in on April 25th with the powers and duties of the president. On June 3rd, Garry Conille was sworn in as the new Prime Minister.

Minister Mitchell said, “the Prime Minister has been chosen. There is a transition council now. There’s a new cabinet. We look forward to meeting them all when Heads of government takes place in Grenada in a couple of weeks time and to working with them to try and make sure elections take place within the year period that it was suggested that they ought to take place.”

The Bahamas has committed 150 officers to a multi-national peacekeeping force led by Kenyan police who are set to deploy by the end of June 2024. Mitchell addressed the backlash received for the decision. “You will have naysayers about this but a country has to do things which are in its best interest and often times it requires making difficult decisions. But to not do something may in fact lead to a worse result and that’s what we’re trying to avoid,” he said.

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