Haiti is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, marked by escalating gang violence and a severe situation of political, economic and social unrest. Armed gangs control the capital, Port-au-Prince, specifically over 80% of it. The violence has led to widespread insecurity, with daily reports of kidnappings and assassinations, increasing cases of epidemics, and an advancing hunger crisis.

Public institutions, including hospitals and schools, have been severely impacted, and forced to close or operate under dire and unstable conditions. In addition, millions of Haitians are in urgent need of food, drinking water, medical care, and other essential services. The combination of violence, economic collapse, and political instability has left the Haitian diaspora worried about what is to come of the capital, and possibly the country.

Back in March 2024, prominent figures of Montreal’s Haitian diaspora organized a press conference to raise awareness on the topic. They presented their new initiative called Approche de Montreal, which was shared with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of External Affairs Mélanie Joly.

In the plan, they demanded that the Canadian government urges an arms embargo on the United States. Most arms and munitions used by police forces and gang members are sold and brought in through the United States, as Haiti does not produce any weapons. 

In this interview, CUTV’s video journalist Aude Simon sits down with Frantz Voltaire, one of the panellists at the conference, and the president of the Centre International de Documentation et D'Information Haitienne, Caribeenne et Afro-Canadienne. Together, they discuss the long history of political turmoil in Haiti, the underlying causes of the crisis and the importance of Haitian sovereignty in relation to the current state of affairs in the country.