Analysis: Haiti exits 2021 hamstrung by gangs and government gridlock as eyes turn to diaspora

A few months ago, Guerlinz Affriany returned from southwestern Haiti, where he helped provide relief after the Aug. 14 earthquake. But looking at a country plagued by gang violence, kidnapping that has only increased, he doesn’t know when he will go back. 

“They have the power to do whatever they want,” said Affriany, a retired military veteran in Elmont, New York, about the gangs. “Nobody wants to go to Haiti right now.” 

As Affriany noted, the kidnapping of American and Canadian missionaries in October went unresolved for about two months before the remaining 12 missionaries were freed Dec. 16. Analysts have also said the episode highlighted the weakness of the Haitian state, in a year plagued by instability and the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. 

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