So the landmark arrest quickly led to chaos on Haiti’s streets, and is further complicating the already fraught relationship the country has with the United States. Despite being a fugitive whose face was posted on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website, Mr. Philippe had recently been elected to the Haitian Senate. Mr. Philippe said, “I was kidnapped for my political beliefs,” in a statement to The New York Times released this week through his lawyer in Miami. Critics say the accord allows the United States to operate only in Haitian air and seas — not on its land. Mr. Philippe, he said, is so popular because he always made development of the region his priority.

Source: New York Times January 13, 2017 01:37 UTC