Former National Security Ministry International Affairs director Richard Lynch said the international community is treating Haiti the same way it treats sub-Saharan African failed states. He said it could take 15 years for the nation to recover from its current situation.

Speaking during the Bocas Lit Fest as part of the panel Big Ideas: The Politics of Home, Lynch said the problem that is Haiti was not created in the region, so there was not likely to be a regional autonomous solution.

“The problem that is Haiti will require an international solution. There are gangs in Haiti which we think number 3,000 people. They are now trafficking arms and ammunition out of Haiti to other countries.