The image of a Haitian man crying “Too much, too much” after that devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake in January 2010 remains indelibly planted in our minds as we continue to watch developments in our sister Caribbean nation.

Here, as we have said before, is a country whose untold misery of today dramatically belies the glory of its beginning from the revolution of 1791-1804
— the first and only slave uprising that resulted in the establishment of a free State ruled by former slaves.

But since that hard-fought independence, Haiti’s development has been imperilled by myriad forces, among them foreign interference, internal political malfeasance, social instability, epidemics, natural disasters and, arguably the most cruel of all, a crippling debt imposed by France as a penalty for independence.

As if all that were not enough, on Monday news emerged that a Haitian judge has indicted at least 50 people over alleged involvement in the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Among them are Mr Moise’s widow Mrs Martine Moise, a former prime minister, and an ex-chief of police.

According to Haitian news portal AyiboPost, the individuals named in the judge’s order are “to be judged on the facts of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, terrorism, assassination, and complicity in assassination”.

The order also states that “indications of the involvement of the ex-first lady… are sufficient” to indict, adding that her statements were “so tainted by contradictions that they leave something to be desired and discredit her”.

We are in no position to make a judgment on this matter. However, we recall that Mrs Moise was wounded in the attack on her husband.

Since then, Haiti has plunged deeper into crisis as gangs have strengthened their hold on the country.

Last Friday, the United Nations reported that more than 1,100 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in Haiti in January alone, making it the most violent month in the country in two years of conflict. Homicides, the UN added, more than doubled last year to nearly 4,800.

An Agence France Presse report quotes Mr Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, as saying: “The already dire human rights situation has deteriorated even further, amid unrelenting and expanding gang violence, with disastrous consequences for Haitians.”

Of particular concern is the impact of the violence on children, as 167 of them were killed or injured by bullets last year.

“Some were executed by gangs or so-called ‘self-defence’ groups for their suspected support for rivals,” the UN said, adding that “the recruitment of children into gangs remained extremely worrisome”.

Since Monday last week the country has been experiencing more unrest as thousands of people have demanded that Prime Minister Ariel Henry step down in line with a political agreement forged in 2022.

We note that a court in Kenya has ruled against that country’s plan to lead a UN-approved multinational mission with up to 1,000 personnel to support Haiti’s overwhelmed police force.

It’s an unfortunate development, but the international community cannot be detained by that because Haiti is in dire need of help. That help must be properly planned, coordinated, and executed.