This archive report was first published on 11 January 2020.
Published on January 11, 2020, a devastating hurricane struck Haiti, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. But this was not the first time the country had faced hardship. In March 2017, Haiti concluded a year-long period of caretaker governance, installing Jovenel Moïse as its 58th president. Moïse faces a daunting task, as Haiti remains the Western hemisphere's poorest nation, plagued by widespread illiteracy, endemic corruption, and inadequate infrastructure.
However, Haiti's struggles date back much further. In 1825, just two decades after gaining independence, Haiti was forced to begin paying enormous 'reparations' to French slaveholders it had overthrown. This debt, which would take 122 years to pay off, was a crippling burden for the fledgling nation.
As a result of complying with France's ultimatum, Haiti gained immunity from French military invasion and relief from political and economic isolation, but at a great cost. The debt was finally settled in 1947, but the damage had already been done. Decades of making regular payments had rendered the Haitian government chronically insolvent, contributing to a pervasive climate of instability that the country still struggles to overcome.
Today, France ranks among the world's wealthiest nations, while Haiti struggles to make ends meet, with a per-capita annual income of $350 and a power grid that fails on a regular basis. It is estimated that Haiti paid France $21 billion in reparations over the course of nearly six generations – with interest. France should now do the right thing and return those payments, which could help Haiti begin a broad-based recovery and bring much-needed relief to its long-suffering people.
