Many Haitians expressed genuine sympathy and shared loss when an American missionary couple, Davy and Natalie Lloyd, were killed by gangs alongside Jude Montis, the local director of the Missions in Haiti organization where they were working. Following a confusing few hours of attacks and counter-attacks by rival gangs on May 23, the tragic shootings and subsequent burning of the male bodies quickly made national news in the United States, in part because of the prominence of the couple — Natalie Lloyd is the daughter of Missouri State Representative Ben Baker and Davy Lloyd’s family is prominent in Oklahoma.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Haiti’s new Presidential Transition Council and the prime minister have a lot to do as they try to take back the country’s security from armed gangs while addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis. They must also focus on leading the country to elections mandated to take place by February 2026. Given the weak and controversial elections Haiti has endured in recent cycles, the new government and its international supporters will need to focus on creating conditions for a viable election that will crown the upcoming period of social and political restoration.

Type: Analysis

Global Elections & Conflict

While Haiti’s Transitional Council has appointed a prime minister to lead a temporary government and the Kenyan-led international security mission is expected to deploy soon, “[Haiti’s] gangs are still pretty strong,” says USIP’s Keith Mines. “There’s really going to be a fight for power … over the coming months.”

Type: Podcast

The state visit to Washington last week by Kenya’s President William Ruto provides a moment in which to assess not simply a major U.S. bilateral partnership in Africa, but the progress of the United States’ declared intent to build a strategic partnership with the continent overall. The U.S. government in 2022 declared that partnership vital to U.S. interests — a recognition of Africa’s rising economic potential and its inevitably central role in all efforts to build global stability and prosperity in this century. Former assistant secretary of state for Africa Johnnie Carson, now a senior advisor at USIP, assessed the visit and the progress in building that new, transatlantic partnership.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy