Top Republican blames Biden’s ‘neglect’ for leaving Haiti on the brink of civil war and demand assurances $50million in US aid won’t fall into the hands of ‘warlords’

Michael McCaul accused the Biden administration of leaving Haiti on the brink of civil war when the foreign minister said he would not lift his hold on tens of millions in aid until he received further assurances that it would not go to ‘warlords’.

For months, Republicans have withheld funds that would be used to send a force led by Kenyan police to Haiti, which is now under attack by gangs.

They released $10 million of a $50 million fund, and McCaul claims none of that money has been spent yet.

“We’ve already released $10 million from congressional announcements that haven’t spent a penny,” McCaul told reporters at the House GOP retreat at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia.

“I don’t want to throw more money or weapons into Haiti until I get assurances that it won’t go directly to the warlords.”

But the Biden administration is reportedly growing frustrated with the GOP-led team and is pleading with lawmakers to recognize the urgency of the situation.

But McCaul said the Biden administration has “neglected” Haiti for a year and there was almost no international law enforcement presence before the latest chaos.

“We had a hearing on this issue, it was very clear that international law enforcement, INL had very little presence of anyone in Haiti,” he said, adding that the current situation is due to “a year’s worth of neglect by this administration.”

Earlier this week, the State Department sent top Republicans its plan to help Haiti in an effort to get McCaul and Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, to drop their grip.

But with Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepping down and no real government left in Haiti, it is unclear whether Kenyan officers are even ready to step in.

“Kenya cannot bring their people in until there is some form of governance in Haiti,” McCaul insisted.

The United States has committed as much as $300 million to the multinational security mission in Haiti, which will involve sending 1,000 Kenyan officers to the island.

McCaul said he is not satisfied with the State Department plan and is still waiting for intelligence assessments on the death toll and the possibility of a stable government plan in Haiti.

“The administration has still failed to come forward to give us the necessary reports briefings to help us get to a point where we feel confident about how the money will be spent and the weapons,” he explained.

“This is not the first time in history that the United States would put money weapons in another country that backfired.”

A plan to install new leaders in Haiti appeared to crumble on Thursday after key political parties rejected the plan to create a presidential council to manage the transition.

National police patrol the area near the empty national prison after a small fire inside the prison in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Haiti, Thursday, March 14, 2024

Police officers stand guard at the entrance to the national prison after a fire as a powerful gang leader in Haiti issued a threatening message targeting political leaders who would attend a still-unformed transitional council for the country in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 14. March 2024

The gang attacks began on February 29, when Henry was in Kenya to push for a UN-backed deployment of a Kenyan police force.

He has been locked out of Haiti since, as gang attacks have closed the country’s airports.

Gunmen in the capital Port-au-Prince have set fire to police stations and stormed the country’s largest prison, freeing around 4,000 inmates.

The UN’s top human rights official warned days ago that the situation in Haiti is “beyond unsustainable”, noting that more than 1,190 people have been killed by gangs alone since the start of 2024.