jueves 6 de febrero de 2025
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Colombian President Petro apologizes to Haiti

Port au Prince (The Haitian Times): Colombian President Gustavo Petro paid a historic visit to Jacmel in southeastern Haiti, where he offered a formal apology for the involvement of Colombian mercenaries in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

This visit, which officials said aims to strengthen bilateral and historical ties between the two nations, was marked by solemn moments of reflection and symbolic gestures of cooperation despite the controversy and financial implications for a Haiti in crisis.

“I apologize because some white Colombians came here to kill the president of Haiti,” Petro said in his speech, saying Colombia wishes to draw closer to Haiti with a sincere heart and an open hand, not with the hands of assassins.

“On behalf of the entire Colombian people, I tell you that we do not believe in this death propagated by these Colombians; we believe in life,” the Colombian president, who also struggles in the face of a deadly wave of violence between fighting guerrilla groups in his country, added.

Petro acknowledged the arrest of 17 Colombian mercenaries linked to the armed commando that raided Moïse’s residence on July 7, 2021. The Haitian president’s assassination sent shockwaves through Haiti and beyond, exacerbating the nation’s growing sociopolitical instability and deepening security crisis.

Despite the warm welcome, the visit sparked controversy, as it coincided with rumors about potential negotiations for releasing the accused Colombian mercenaries formally charged in Moise’s murder.

Colombian media outlets reported that the Colombian families have been pressuring Petro’s government to secure their return. Joverlein Moïse, the late Haitian president’s eldest son, and others expressed concerns that justice might be delayed or denied in favor of diplomatic convenience.

However, Jacques Ambroise, spokesperson for the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT), said on Radio Magik 9 that the rumors were false and Petro supported the trial of the Colombians in Haiti.

“Petro asked Leslie Voltaire [CPT president] for the Colombians imprisoned in Haiti to be judged and for their sentences to be determined,” Ambroise said. “Gustavo Petro apologized for the harm caused to Haiti, despite rumors claiming that this cooperation is meant to secure the release of the Colombians implicated in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse.”

Still, these statements did not suffice to quash the rumors, as Haitian lawyer Ashley Jean-Baptiste pointed out. Speaking to The Haitian Times, Jean-Baptiste explained that the visit was not only about issuing an apology to the Haitian people for the assassination but also involved negotiations regarding the protection of the Colombians.

“I also see this visit as part of a nation’s commitment to ensure it does not abandon its citizens accused in another country,” Jean-Baptiste explained. “It’s probable that the discussions included the matter of the Colombians’ detention, and there may even be requests concerning their possible release.”

Detained since after the killing of President Moïse, the Colombian mercenaries have appealed the indictment issued against them in February 2024 by Judge Walter W. Voltaire. A hearing on Jan. 20 at Haiti’s Court of Appeals was rescheduled for Jan. 27 due to the absence of two indicted high-profile former Haitian police officers, fugitive Dimitri Hérard and Jean Laguel Civil.

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The Haitian Times

The Haitian Times

The Haitian Times, founded in 1999 in the USA, is the leading voice in the community’s evolution, aims to bridge the generational and geographical gaps among Haitians. We tell the real story of Haiti and Haitian-Americans and of the culture that binds us all across borders.
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