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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 23 July 2024
U.S. ambassador visits Haiti to meet new leaders and Kenyan

police helping to curb gang violence

By JADE LOZADA are children, and resulted
Associated Press in 4 million people facing
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — food insecurity.
The U.S. ambassador to the In a signal of support for the
United Nations traveled to U.N. mission to Haiti and the
Haiti on Monday to meet Kenyan police, Thomas-
leaders of the new transi- Greenfield will visit the po-
tional government and the lice force’s living complex
Kenyan police who are the and meet Conille, mem-
vanguard of a U.N.-backed bers of the transitional pres-
force meant to help the idential council and U.N.
country’s national police and civil society represen-
curb widespread gang vio- tatives.
lence. Haiti asked for an inter-
A senior U.S. administration national force to combat
official said Ambassador gangs in 2022, and U.N.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Secretary-General Anto-
one-day visit also seeks to nio Guterres appealed for
encourage action on Hai- months for a country to
ti’s humanitarian crisis and lead the force before the
political reform leading to Kenyans came forward.
democratic elections in A second Kenyan contin-
2026. gent of 200 police officers
The ambassador will make U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols, right, holds out a cell phone landed in Haiti last week,
two major announcements to take a photo with, from right, Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, U.S. Ambassador to the following the first contin-
related to Haiti’s security United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Haitian Foreign Minister Dominque Dupuy before gent of 200 officers last
and humanitarian crises, they meet with the Haitian Transitional Presidential Council at the Villa d’Accueil in Port-au-Prince, month. The multinational
the official said, speaking Haiti, Monday, July 22, 2024. force will eventually total
on condition of anonymity Associated Press 2,500 personnel from Ke-
ahead of the visit. into surrounding areas. The ment led by Prime Minister cial to helping control the nya, the Bahamas, Ban-
Gangs have grown in pow- surge in killings, rapes and Garry Conille, a former U.N. country’s gangs and mov- gladesh, Barbados, Benin,
er since the July 7, 2021, as- kidnappings has led to a development specialist ing toward democratic Chad and Jamaica.
sassination of President Jo- violent uprising by civilian who arrived in the coun- elections. They will be deployed in
venel Moïse and are now vigilante groups. try in early June. Earlier this According to U.N. agen- phases at a cost of some
estimated to control up to There has been wide in- month, he told the U.N. cies, the violence has dis- $600 million a year, ac-
80% of the capital, Port-au- ternational support for the Security Council that the placed 580,000 people, cording to the U.N. Security
Prince, and have spread new transitional govern- Kenyan police will be cru- more than half of whom Council. q

Brazil’s Lula urges Venezuela’s Maduro to respect vote results, is

‘frightened’ by talk of bloodbath

By MAURICIO SAVARESE erned Venezuela since cess,” Lula said. Maduro told a rally this speak to Nicaragua’s Presi-
Associated Press 2013, taking over after the Lula, who for many years month. “If we want to avoid dent Daniel Ortega on be-
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Bra- death of predecessor and refused to openly criticize a bloodbath, or a fratricid- half of Pope Francis about
zil’s President Luiz Inácio mentor Hugo Chávez. The the Venezuelan leader, al civil war triggered by the the leftist leader’s decision
Lula da Silva said Monday 61-year-old has won elec- said he will send former for- fascists, then we must guar- to eject more than a dozen
his Venezuelan counter- tions that his adversaries eign minister Celso Amorim antee the biggest electoral Roman Catholic clergymen
part Nicolás Maduro should deemed not to be free and to watch the elections on victory ever.” from the Central American
respect the results of the fair. His 2018 reelection was Sunday. Other Brazilian ob- Lula also said he tried to nation. q
elections scheduled for widely considered a sham, servers will also be present.
Sunday, and said he was as major opposition par- “I got frightened with
“frightened” by Maduro’s ties and candidates were Maduro’s statement say-
reference to a possible banned from participating. ing there will be a blood-
post-election bloodbath. His main adversary will be bath if he loses. When you
The veteran leader will Edmundo González, a for- lose, you go home and
send a top diplomat to mer diplomat chosen by get ready to run in another
neighboring Venezuela as the opposition coalition election,” Lula said.
an observer of the vote. to replace the fiery leader In recent weeks, Maduro
“Maduro knows that the María Corina Machado on and allies have increased
only chance for Venezuela the ballot. their references to post-
to return to normality is to “If Maduro wants to con- election violence, assert-
have an electoral process tribute for growth to return ing that the opposition will
that is respected by ev- to Venezuela, for people carry out violent demon-
eryone,” Lula told report- who left Venezuela to strations and reject the re-
ers at the presidential resi- come back and to estab- sults, which the ruling party Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva takes a sip of coffee
dence in Brasilia. “He has lish a state of economic claims will show it victorious. as he gives a press conference at his official residence Alvorada
to respect the democratic growth, he needs to re- “The destiny of Venezuela Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, July 22, 2024.
process.” Maduro has gov- spect the democratic pro- depends on our victory,” Associated Press