La Via Campesina Haiti: April 17, Press Release

The date of April 17th is the day that La Via Campesina (LVC) has dedicated as the International Day of Peasant Struggles. LVC chose this day in memory of the 21 peasants, members of the MST (Landless Workers’ Movement), who were massacred by the military police of Brazil on that same date, April 17th, 1996, in a community called Eldorado de Carajás in the state of Pará. The march that the peasants were undertaking was to claim their rights to land to produce healthy food. On that day, 155 police officers appeared and killed 19 peasants, while 2 of them were taken to the hospital and later died. It is in memory of this massacre that LVC chose it as the International Day of Peasant Struggles.

Around the world, LVC member peasant organizations and allies are reflecting, debating on agroecology, food sovereignty, peasants’ rights, and agricultural lands. More than 200 million LVC members are raising the peasant agroecological flags as the only alternative for all the peoples of this sovereign planet in terms of healthy food, the only means to cool the planet amidst the climate crisis.

In Haiti, we cannot forget the massacre of Jean Rabel, a municipality in the northwest department of the country, where gangs killed over 300 peasants. We cannot forget the massacre of Piatte in the municipality of San Marco, Artibonite department, along with many other massacres committed against peasants in every corner of the country. We cannot deny or forget the land thieves in “Plateau Central” (central part of the country), in the Northeast, Artibonite, Northwest, South, and other places in the country, facilitated by the PHTK regime, which is a regime of land grabbing.

The state in Haiti has always been anti-peasant, but for the past 10 years, the state has allied with oligarchs and imperialist countries to exterminate the peasant class. With the arrival of the PHTK regime, this has become even harsher, which is the third version with Ariel Henry to finish off the country. Many peasants, especially in the Artibonite department, had to flee their homes, leaving their gardens and livestock behind due to gangs. In this past week, here in the central department of the country, precisely in the municipality of Mirebalais, peasants fled their homes due to attacks by armed gangs.

Peasants don’t know where to go, thieves stealing all kinds of cows and goats. All agricultural product processing and marketing companies, agricultural cooperatives, are not functioning. Many peasants have fled or left the rural areas. Despite all this, we continue to fight, we continue to resist!

LVC Haiti calls for a transitional government to replace the criminal Ariel regime. This transitional government must take political and financial measures necessary to restore security as quickly as possible in the country. And provide peasants with what is necessary to relaunch the production of healthy and natural food, take necessary measures to facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes, restore them, in other words, repair them to lead a suitable life, establish a program of reflection and environmental protection that is in a critical situation.

LVC Haiti also takes this opportunity to say to all women, young people, and peasant men that we will not give up. We must continue to fight and work tirelessly so that Haiti can regain its food sovereignty, regain its national sovereignty. That is why we do not accept any form of occupation. We say NO to any form of occupation that they want to impose on us!

Women and men peasants, all allies, let us solidify this great construction of food sovereignty, a great solidarity for the liberation of the country against the project of death they want to impose.

GLOBALIZE THE STRUGGLE, GLOBALIZE HOPE FOR A NEW SOCIETY ON THE PLANET.

Organizations of CLOC-LVC Haiti: MPP, MPNKP, Tet Kolé (TK)

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Haiti: Another foreign intervention will not solve the crisis. The country needs a solution coming from its people #8M24 – “With conviction we build Food Sovereignty and we fight against the crisis and violence!” Haiti: Peasants defend their Food Sovereignty amidst new attempts at international interference Haiti: Final Statement of the National Youth Camp on Food Sovereignty