The Haitian Chancellery wishes to express its sympathies and solidarity with the Haitian community affected by a series of suspicious fires of unknown origin that have occurred in recent months in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, the most recent of which, on July 24, seriously affected several Haitian-occupied residences.

In this particularly troubling context, the Chancellery urges the Haitian community in the Turks and Caicos Islands to exercise calm, caution, and restraint, and calls for the avoidance of any form of manipulation or exploitation of these regrettable incidents, which could fuel tensions and harm collective security, until the matter is fully investigated and responsibilities are clearly established.

Furthermore, the Chancellery learned with regret of the incident that occurred on the night of July 27-28, at approximately 2:57 a.m., at the "Island Hookah Lounge" nightclub in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, during which armed individuals opened fire on customers, causing at least three deaths and ten serious injuries.

The Chancellery condemns this heinous act and extends its deepest sympathies to the people of this neighboring territory, particularly Governor Her Excellency Deleeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Prime Minister The Honorable Charles Washington Misik, and the relatives of the victims of this tragedy.

It should be recalled that nearly 11,000 Haitians are living in the locality. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), approximately 80% of Haitians live on Providenciales, 20% of whom have permanent residency status; most of the rest are in an irregular migration situation.

IH/ S/ iciHaiti