Former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding warned on Wednesday that Haiti was “dangerously close” to becoming a failed state. The former PM urged the international community and other stakeholders to play a much more meaningful role in ensuring Haiti’s future security. Golding, who is a member of the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG) working to facilitate inclusive dialogue among Haitian stakeholders to find a solution to the country’s prolonged multidimensional crisis, also expressed doubts about the possibility of holding elections in Haiti later this year. The April 3 agreement, which gave rise to the current executive power, provides for a transfer of power to elected officials on February 7, 2026.

Speaking during a World Bank-sponsored webinar on Haiti, Golding stated that since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, “gangs have expanded their control over vast areas of Port-au-Prince, the seat of government, making it virtually impossible to elect a new president within the constitutional deadline of 120 days.”