Haiti: A failed state?
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 23 February 2023
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kidnap, rape, riots and murder have become a part of everyday life in Haiti. Still reeling from successive natural disasters, a cholera epidemic and starvation, the people of the Caribbean nation are witnessing civil society collapse as dangerous gangs fight for dominance.
The assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 opened up a political vacuum and today sixty per cent of the capital Port Au Prince is under gang control. Is there any hope for Haiti or is it already a failed state?
This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes.
Guests
- Mario Delatour, Documentary filmmaker.
- Stephen Gibbs, Latin America Correspondent, The Times.
Host: Manveen Rana.
Producer: Olivia Case.
Clips: BBC, PBS, CBS, NBC, France 24, ABC, Voice of America.
This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Where did they come from these gang leaders, who he didn't know the existence of these guys |
| 0:18.5 | that are now running our lives, all of a sudden they become like real tycoons of terror. |
| 0:24.8 | Why should I be concerned with what Bobby Key has to say? |
| 0:28.7 | Who is this guy, Bobby Key? |
| 0:31.7 | It's a good question, and the man asking it is 67-year-old Haitian American Mario |
| 0:37.7 | De la Tour. |
| 0:38.7 | Mario lives in Porto Prince, the capital of the battered and beleagued Caribbean nation |
| 0:45.1 | of Haiti, which is now in the hands of dangerous gangs. |
| 0:49.6 | It's insane you should be listening to what your president has to say. |
| 0:55.3 | You should be listening to what your prime minister has to say. |
| 0:58.7 | Not to what a gang leader has to say. |
| 1:04.1 | Haitians are living in a deadly power vacuum. |
| 1:07.5 | The rule of law has all but broken down and competing gangs who kidnap, kill and rape |
| 1:14.8 | at will control 60% of the capital. |
| 1:18.6 | There have been a string of assassinations. |
| 1:20.6 | Haitian prime minister acting president coming under heavy gunfire. |
| 1:24.2 | Gangs have also severed access to clean water, food and other essentials as Haiti also |
| 1:29.3 | deals with a deadly cholera outbreak. |
| 1:32.1 | The United Nations says Haiti is on the edge of an abyss. |
| 1:37.2 | At a recent summit, Canada was just one of the countries that promised more help. |
| 1:42.5 | We will continue our efforts to assist all stakeholders in Haiti to ensure a Haitian-owned |
| 1:48.6 | resolution to the crises. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

