French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil called the leaders of Haiti “morons”, which caused a diplomatic conflict. In response to these words, the Haitian government summoned the French ambassador for an explanation, it is reported The Guardian.
Macron sharply criticized the decision by Haiti’s interim presidential council to oust Prime Minister Harry Conil in early November amid escalating gang violence. He called the decision “absolutely stupid” and added: “They are complete morons, they should never have fired him.”
The French president also accused Haitians of “allowing the drug trade to take over” in the country. “To be honest, it was the Haitians themselves who destroyed Haiti,” Macron said.
These statements caused outrage in Haiti, which is a former colony of France. Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Macron’s words as “unfriendly and inappropriate.”
After that, the French president officially declared that his country “will never turn away from the crisis in Haiti.” He promised to allocate 4 million euros to the UN fund to support the security mission, which is aimed at restoring order in the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Haiti reported that the French ambassador assured during the meeting: “France is ready to support Haiti in restoring security and facilitate the holding of elections.”
Haiti has long suffered from political instability. According to AFP, in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, gangs control 80% of the territory, and half the population faces acute food shortages.
On November 12, Alix Didier Fils-Eme was sworn in as the new Prime Minister, replacing Harry Conil. He promised to restore security in the crisis-ridden country. However, internal conflicts in the leadership continue: three members of the transitional presidential council, which is responsible for stabilizing the situation and preparing for the elections, are accused of corruption, although they remain in their positions.
