A peaceful march has been called for today in downtown Haiti. Civil society groups have been mobilizing for the last few days to have people come out and protest against the increasing levels of insecurity in the country - especially kidnapping. There have been a few high profile kidnappings, including the young Canadian woman and a number of young students, including a 16 year old who was brutally murdered. We've noticed a rise in insecurity in our target areas at work, and have even considered pulling out of one particularly challenging area - as a pressure tactic to get the police and MINUSTAH to maintain pressure on gangs and criminals.
At the same time, parliament is in the middle of processing Robert Manuel, the Prime Minister nominated by Preval. It's really unclear if he will be approved by the Senate and Parliament. Some have suggested that Preval would not have nominated him without securing support beforehand, while others have been extremely critical, especially since Manuel is so close to the President.
Hunger and food insecurity remains a huge issue. Money is pouring into Haiti right now. I only hope it gets used effectively, with long-term investments in agriculture and not just simple, quick fixes. If history is any indication, this will be a challenge.
Today's march is a big deal. I hope it can be pulled off without any incidents of violence. Standing up to criminals and kidnappers is not an easy task. People are very afraid because these people wield tremendous power and are tied to people with even more (social, economic and political) power.
I'll let you know how it goes . . . mvg.
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