France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’
France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’
France urged to repay billions of dollars to Haiti for independence ‘ransom’
The Caribbean island state became the first in the region to win its independence in 1804 after a revolt by enslaved people. But in a move that many Haitians blame for two centuries of turmoil, France later imposed harsh reparations for lost income and that debt was only fully repaid in 1947.
The group of about 20 non-governmental organisations currently in Geneva for a UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) are seeking a new independent commission to oversee the restitution of the debt, which they refer to as a ransom.
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The amount paid to France is disputed by historians although the New York Times estimated Haiti’s loss at $21bn. The proposal’s backers say the amount is much higher.
“It’s $21bn plus 200 years of interest that France has enjoyed, so we’re talking more like $150bn, $200bn or more,” said Jemima Pierre, professor of global race at the University of British Columbia.
Clesca said she hoped the recommendation and others would be part of the UN forum’s conclusions due on Friday. Last year, the PFPAD suggested that a tribunal should be formed to address reparations for slavery.
I am certain that Europe and America will never give any legitimate slavery reparations in my lifetime.
That said, Haiti is way too unstable right now to give them reparations. They need a stable government first. Otherwise you're basically just giving it to gangs.
um,,,,sweaty,,,the us DID pay reparations
how were those slaveowners gonna recoup the losses of their property without reparations
It was the UK that did that. In the US, slavery was abolished through straight up "property confiscation" (from the perspective of slaveholders)
There's a question of who to give it to. But it is undeniable that the country with one of the lowest standards of living on earth, squarely in the path of major hurricanes, and prone to massive earthquakes, needs resources to rebuild with the kind of stable and resilient infrastructure that can endure these shocks.
Good luck doing rebuilding without a stable government.