International

Disagreements make it difficult to elect the members of the transitional council in Haiti

Internal disagreements made it difficult on Wednesday to elect the members who will make up the transitional presidential council in Haiti and, even, one of the main parties involved, the Pitit Dessaline, announced that he will not send a representative to that institution.

The creation of the transition council is the result of last Monday’s meeting in the capital of Jamaica, convened by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to seek a solution to the extreme situation in Haiti and in which representatives of Haitians, the UN and international partners, including the United States, also participated, with its Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the helm.

After that appointment, the Haitian Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, who is in Puerto Rico after staying several days in unknown whereabouts, announced in a message to the nation his resignation from office as soon as the presidential council is constituted because, he said, “no sacrifice is too great” for the country, which “needs peace, stability and lasting development.”

This Wednesday, at a press conference, the leader of Pitit Dessaline, former Senator Jean Charles Moise, announced that his political formation rejects the initiative of the transitional council and will not send a representative, despite being one of the movements, forces and sectors of civil society that should appoint the seven members who will make up the institution along with two observers.

The Pitit Dessalines (Descendants of Dessalines) is a left-wing formation that emerged in February 2017 that is declared open to all those who “share the ideal of Dessalines until the end” (Jean-Jacques Dessalines, father of the independence of Haiti).

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This was one of the entities that should designate the components of the presidential council together with the January 30 Collective, Montana Agreement, December 21 Agreement, EDE/RED, the Fanmi Lavalas party and the Private Sector, while the observers will represent the Regrouping by a National and Sovereign Entente (REN) and the Diaspora of Haitians residing abroad.

These actors and formations practically reflect the different sectors of national life in Haiti.

But, in the face of the disagreements that have arisen internally, many of those movements have not yet sent the names of those who will be part of the institution, which must agree on the appointment of an interim prime minister and will prepare the way for the holding of presidential elections.

At the moment, only some of the chosen names have been known, such as that of Edgard Leblanc Fils, of the January 30 Collective.

In addition to the disagreements registered internally, the appointment of representatives may be delayed because some of the people who would be appointed run the risk of having the status of ineligible by not having declared their property.

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On Tuesday, the United States considered that the transitional council could be formed in 24 or 48 hours and showed its desire that the appointment of an interim prime minister take place “without delay.”

Several voices were raised against the pact reached at the Caricom meeting, including that of former rebel leader Guy Philippe, who will not be able to be on the presidential council due to a money laundering sentence in the United States.

Before the agreement reached in Jamaica was known, Jimmy Chérizier, alias Barbecue, on behalf of the coalition of armed bands ‘Vivre Ensemble’ (Living Together), also rejected the negotiations of the international community because it is the Haitian people “who must take fate in their hands” and showed their opposition to foreign forces.

On Tuesday, dozens of people demonstrated, with banners and barricades on fire, in front of the embassy in Port-au-Prince of Canada, one of the key foreign actors in the country along with the United States and France, against the transitional presidential council.

Violence increased exponentially in Haiti after it was known on February 28 that Henry had pledged to hold elections before the end of August 2025, despite the fact that in 2022 he reached an agreement with parties, civil society organizations and members of the private sector to leave power on February 7, 2024, which did not happen.

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The powerful armed gangs then increased their actions against institutions, companies and prisons, from which more than 3,000 prisoners fled, including members and leaders of gangs, and tried to attack, unsuccessfully, the National Palace and the Ministry of Justice, despite the state of emergency and the curfew in force in the department of the West, where Port-au-Prince is located.

Haiti is awaiting the deployment of the multinational security support mission approved by the UN and led by Kenya, whose president, William Ruto, reaffirmed on Wednesday his country’s commitment to lead that force once the transitional council is appointed.

International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.