Guyana says Caricom meeting on Haiti 'will seek to bring order'

“In this country, criminals have now taken over the country. There is no government. It has become a failed society,” he added.

The United States, Canada, France and the United Nations are also invited to attend the meeting.

Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America, faces a spiral of violence unleashed by armed gangs in its capital, Port-au-Prince.

Attacks on hospitals, food shortages and broken infrastructure have put the city in an increasingly precarious humanitarian situation.

Saturday witnessed new clashes between police and criminal gangs.

The gangs are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is outside the country and was scheduled to leave office in February, but instead concluded a power-sharing agreement with the opposition until elections are held.

The Community of Latin American Nations (CELAC) recently addressed the situation in the country, and the United States on Thursday called for a “global response” to gang violence and urged the prime minister to conduct an “urgent” transition.

The United States also announced on Sunday the evacuation of some of its embassy employees and the strengthening of security measures.

When he called the meeting, the President of Guyana indicated that Caricom was holding talks with “interested parties” in Haiti about the situation.

Ali noted that the meeting was “vital” and urged Caricom and its partners to work “together to provide critical support to the people of Haiti in this time of crisis.”

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