Haiti Relief and Reconstruction Watch

On February 17, Haitian police arrested seven Blackwater-like security contractors a few blocks from the country’s Central Bank. Driving in unmarked vehicles and transporting semi-automatic rifles, drones, and other tactical equipment, the contractors claimed to be on a government mission. Four days later the US “rescued” them. None are expected to face charges.

Over the course of just a few days, the case took on political significance much greater than the detention and release of the contractors. The chain of events initiated by the detention revealed the weakness of the nation’s justice system and the precariousness of the current Haitian administration; it exposed the close ties between criminal networks and the ruling party; and casts doubt on the idea that this was a simple security operation gone wrong.

Launch the investigation below.

Nan kreyòl

Our Boss Will Call Your Boss An investigation into American security contractors arrested in Haiti and their "rescue" by the US government Enter keywords .sh_embed { position: relative; height: auto; width:100%; z-index: 0; overflow: hidden; background-color: #222; color: white; font-family: 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } .sh_embed * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } .sh_embed .sh-embed-bg { position: absolute; width: 110%; height: 110%; top: -5%; left: -5%; z-index: -1; background-color: rgba(0,0,0,.8); } .sh_embed #embed_article { display: none; } .sh_embed .sh-embed-img { display: block; zoom: 1; opacity: .5; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-fit: cover; image-rendering: pixelated; image-rendering: optimizeSpeed; filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(sizingMethod='scale'); -ms-filter: "progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(sizingMethod='scale')"; -webkit-filter: blur(5px); 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Years since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti: 9

Estimated number of aftershocks that measured 4.5 or greater: 59

Number of people who died in the earthquake, according to Haitian government: 316,000

Number of people displaced: 1,300,000

Number of people who remained in internally displaced persons camps, as of September 2017: 37,867

Estimated population of Canaan, a barren hillside north of the capital, pre-earthquake: 0

Estimated population of Canaan now: 300,000

Minimum number of new homes necessary to meet demand: 500,000

Estimated damage and economic losses from earthquake, in percent of Haiti’s GDP: 120 percent

Total amount of aid disbursed by donors, since 2010: $7,538,885,632

Amount of aid given to the government in the form of budget support: $280,844,071

Total amount of approved World Bank projects in Haiti since the earthquake: $1.167 billion

Total aid awarded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID): $2.3 billion

Of that amount, percent of which was given to organizations or companies located inside the Beltway (Maryland, DC, Virginia): 55.5 percent

Percent of which was awarded directly to Haitian organizations or companies: 2.3 percent

Total amount of contracts awarded to the DC-based company Chemonics International: $298.55 million

Total amount of contracts awarded directly to all Haitian firms: $52.95 million

Amount allocated by USAID and the Inter-American Development Bank to support the Caracol Industrial Park, the flagship post-quake project: $350 million

Number of miles from the earthquake epicenter to Caracol: 190

Date on which the industrial park was inaugurated: October 22, 2012

Number of jobs the State Department promised the new industrial park would create: 65,000

Total number of jobs at the industrial park, as of 2017: 10,214

Percent by which garment sector employment has increased countrywide since 2010: 93 percent

Minimum number of residents displaced by the construction of the Caracol Industrial Park: 400

Date on which those 400 residents reached an agreement with the IDB and Haitian government on corrective measures, including access to new land: December 19, 2018

Daily minimum wage in the garment sector: 420 gourdes (less than $6)

Daily minimum wage requested by unions: 1000 gourdes

Percent of garment factories noncompliant with social security and other benefit payments in 2018: 75 percent

Total remittances sent to Haiti in 2018, according to the World Bank: $2.5 billion

Haiti’s rank among countries with the highest remittances as a share of GDP: 5

Minimum number of Haitians who emigrated to Chile in 2017: 105,000

Number of Haitians living in the United States with Temporary Protected Status (TPS): 59,000

Date on which then-candidate Trump proclaimed that he would be Haiti’s “greatest champion”: September 16, 2016

Date on which the US announced it was ending TPS for Haitians: November 20, 2017

Date on which it was reported that President Trump referred to Haiti as a “shithole” country: January 11, 2018

Date on which a trial in New York commenced contesting the US decision to end TPS: January 7, 2019

Ratio of per capita public health funding in Haiti compared to Cuba: 1:60

Percent by which child mortality decreased, between 1990 and 2015: 50 percent

Factor by which Haiti’s child mortality rate remains greater than the Latin America and Caribbean average: 5

Percent of health facilities that charge user fees: 93 percent

Percent of the national budget that went to health in 2004: 16.6

In 2016: 4.4

Percent of national budget that went to the Senate and Chamber of Deputies last year: 5.8 percent

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