US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the Organization of American States (OAS) to take a leadership role in actions to end the control of the violent gangs in Haiti.
The Miami Herald reports that Rubio suggests OAS play a greater role in Haiti, including mobilizing ‘a force.’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 that the Organization of American States play a greater role in Haiti, where he acknowledged the country is being overtaken by criminal gangs and a US-backed mission led by Kenya is struggling to restore peace and stability.
“If ever there was a regional crisis that you would think an organization like this could step forward and provide a force or a group of countries that, working together, could help solve, it would be the OAS,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday about the hemispheric entity.
He said the OAS is supposed to be a forum for governance issues, but has long had a credibility problem in Haiti over what Haitians have viewed as its overreach in elections at US bidding. The US is the main funder of the OAS.
Rubio said the Trump administration is “prepared to play a leading role,” in the OAS’ stepping up on Haiti, “but we do need buy-in from other partners in the region who are as affected, if not more so, by what’s happening there.”
US Secretary of State Rubio also addressed the reshaping of US foreign policy stating the country would continue to be the largest donor but was seeking to restructure, simplify and expedite aid. He highlighted that only US$12 of every US$100 donated by USAID was reaching the recipient.
Diario Libre in an editorial on 21 May 2025 writes that the warning issued by US Secretary of State Rubio regarding the Organization of American States’ (OAS) paralysis in the face of the Haitian crisis serves as a stark reminder of regional inaction.
The editorial states: “As Haiti spirals into political chaos and gang violence, the international community, particularly the hemisphere, appears resigned to watching its collapse from afar.
“Rubio’s critique goes beyond mere finger-pointing; he plainly articulates what many fear to say: the OAS, as a multilateral body, has failed to exhibit the minimum leadership expected in times of crisis. The inter-American system, designed precisely to prevent and respond to situations like Haiti’s, seems either incapable or disinterested.
“Not only has the region failed to unite behind a common strategy, but it has also shifted the burden primarily onto the Dominican Republic, treating the issue as a bilateral concern.
“Rubio emphasizes that while the United States can and will collaborate, it cannot and should not bear the sole responsibility for resolving the crisis.
“His words resonate with truth; regional accountability demands more than diplomatic statements. Action, commitment, and an on-the-ground presence are imperative.”
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Noticias SIN
Miami Herald
US Secretary of State
21 May 2025