By: Staff Writer
February 28, 2023
During the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Nassau, Bahamas last week, Caribbean leaders doubled down on their call for reparations for the region and particularly for Haiti as that poverty stricken country tries to come to grips with the recent upheavals and uprisings.
Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica, said at the concluding press conference that the committee on reparations for the CARICOM has been working with each national counterpart to ensure that the matter of reparations is at the forefront of the global conversation.
He said: “CARICOM has taken a decision to establish a mechanism to engage all of our former colonial countries… on the question of reparation, and each country were mandated to also establish a national reparations committee to engage on this subject, this is a global subject.
Speaking with special regard to Haiti, he added: “Of course, Haiti is part of the Caribbean Community and the global architecture. And no doubt Haiti’s current situation, part of it has to do with its history and the way it was treated as the first country, which saw the emancipation of slaves. And so the discussion on reparation, including reparations for the Haitian people, are all part of the discussions that we are having at the Caribbean Community level…”
Haiti is the second-oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere, after the United States. Though it won independence from France in 1804, Haiti did not receive U.S. recognition until 1862. Haiti experienced numerous periods of intense political and economic disorder, prompting U.S. military intervention in 1915.
In 1825, French King Charles X demanded Haiti reimburse and compensate France for the loss of money and trade from Haiti’s independence. France threatened to invade Haiti and sent 12 war ships to the island nation. On 17 April 1825 an agreement was made between the two nations. France renounced all attempts to re-conquer Haiti and recognized Haiti as an independent nation after Haiti agreed to pay France 150 million gold francs in indemnity to France within five years.
France has played a significant role in Haiti’s development over the course of the last 100 years but has never given back to Haiti any of the 150 million gold francs it extorted.
Prime Minister Skerrit asserted: “We believe, as Caribbean people, that some kind of recompense needs to be provided to us, for the many atrocities of slavery in our region. And so on the question of reparations to Haiti, it forms part of the CARICOM’s consideration and concern and respect to our historical circumstance.”
Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados chimed in and added that there will be a subcommittee on the Prime Ministerial subcommittee on reparations and it will be meeting in the near future.