EDITORIAL | Victory Over Whom, Mr. Bukele? Haiti Is Not a Battlefield for Political Glory

EDITORIAL

Victory over whom, Mr. Bukele?

Whenever political leaders invoke God while discussing military operations in Haiti, that question deserves an answer. What does victory mean to the family sheltering inside its home, the mother searching for her child, or the civilian afraid to step outside?

No president has the authority to turn a political decision into a divine command. Faith cannot replace accountability. Invoking God does not establish the legitimacy of an operation, excuse civilian casualties, or place soldiers above scrutiny.

A screenshot circulating online attributes a message about divine victory and distrust of Dominican authorities to Nayib Bukele. This publication has not authenticated that message and does not present it as an official statement. But the broader question stands: can religious language ever excuse exposing another country’s population to unlawful violence?

Our answer is no.

If a leader’s idea of divine approval leaves room for innocent people to become expendable, the problem lies with the leader’s use of religion. God must not become a political shield against questions about human suffering.

HAITI’S MEMORY DID NOT BEGIN WITH THIS CRISIS

In 2026, 111 years have passed since the United States invaded Haiti in 1915. That occupation ended in 1934. It was not a continuous occupation by every foreign power involved in Haiti today, but its history remains essential to understanding why promises of outside salvation provoke distrust.

Haitians are entitled to remember what foreign governments would prefer to treat as a closed chapter.

The United Nations also has a record to answer for. In 2016, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apologized to Haitians for the organization’s inadequate response to the cholera outbreak and its spread. That apology belongs in every serious discussion of international responsibility in Haiti.

Institutions that arrive claiming to protect people must be judged by what happens to those people. Their flags, mandates and declarations cannot substitute for results or erase harm.

Have Haitians not suffered enough?

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR EVERY GOVERNMENT INVOLVED

Washington, Paris, Ottawa, Santo Domingo and the United Nations must face scrutiny for their own decisions concerning Haiti. Their roles differ, and responsibility must be established through evidence. Each should answer for the policies it supports, the assistance it provides, and the safeguards it demands.

The Dominican government must answer for its own conduct. It cannot be made responsible for every Haitian tragedy, but neither should regional cooperation place any government beyond examination.

The same standard applies to El Salvador. Any Salvadoran deployment must face questions about its objectives, limits, civilian protections and mechanisms for investigating alleged abuses.

Calling an operation necessary does not settle those questions. Calling it righteous does not settle them either.

HAITIAN LEADERS MUST ANSWER TOO

Haiti’s political authorities cannot escape responsibility by standing behind foreign partners. Officials who support outside deployments must explain their decisions to the people who will live with the consequences.

A government’s agreement does not erase the public’s right to question what is being done in its name.

Nor does opposition to foreign intervention require defending armed gangs. Haitians have the right to reject gang violence and demand protection from abuses by security forces at the same time.

Civilians are not an extension of an armed group because they live in a neighborhood where gangs operate. Their nationality, poverty or location cannot make them legitimate targets.

WHAT VICTORY SHOULD MEAN

If victory means children returning safely to school, families remaining in their homes, and communities living without armed intimidation, explain how those outcomes will be achieved and independently assessed.

If civilians are harmed, investigate. If troops commit crimes, hold them accountable. If an operation fails to protect the population, change it.

Haiti is a sovereign country whose people have voices, memories and rights. They are entitled to determine their future and to question every leader who claims to act for their benefit.

So the question remains, Mr. Bukele: victory over whom, achieved by what means, and at whose expense?

No invocation of God can make an innocent Haitian life expendable.

Cherlie Joseph