Marcella Catozza, a Franciscan who has been involved in pastoral and charitable activities in Haiti for years.
Photo: Susan Mohr
Newsroom (08/03/2024 11:50, Gaudium Press) Agenzia Fides has an interview with Sister Marcella Catozza, a nun of the Franciscan order, who for years has dedicated herself to apostolic work in Haiti and who does not hesitate to declare that the situation there is truly alarming.
“The gangs have taken over all the country’s airports to arrest Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was returning from Nairobi, where he signed the agreement to send a Kenyan police force to Haiti. The gangs attacked several public buildings, including prisons, and private hospitals, such as the “St. Francis de Sales” Catholic hospital in Port-au-Prince. Ariel Henry has still not been able to return to the country due to the lack of necessary security conditions.
“The fact that must be emphasized is that these gangs, which until last Thursday were killing each other, joined forces on Friday to attack the institutions,” comments Sr. Marcella. It was the leader of the G9 group, Jimmy Chérizier, known as ‘Barbecue’, who launched the call for unity between the gangs,” she explains.
“But I don’t think ‘Barbecue’ is the mastermind of all this. There is a political mind, perhaps the same one that contracted the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021,” adds Sister Marcella. “You have to take into account that the gangs are equipped with sophisticated weapons and means, not to mention machetes; they even have drones to monitor the movements of the police, who seem unable to stop them.”
Who could have an interest in destabilizing Haiti? “At the moment, we can only build hypotheses,” continues the nun. “For some time now, there have been at least five Mexican drug cartels in the country. It’s possible that they want to turn Haiti into a ‘no man’s land’ to facilitate the shipment of cocaine to North America and Europe. Being in the center of the Caribbean, Haiti is a strategic place for trafficking cocaine from Colombia and Mexico to the lucrative markets of the West,” says the nun.
“Finally, there is a rumor about the possible involvement of former President Aristide, who returned to Haiti in 2010. But I repeat that it’s just a rumor,” she concludes.
With information from Agenzia Fides
Compiled by Teresa Joseph