Venezuela and Haiti commemorate 222 years of the Battle of Vertières with an offering to the Liberator

With a wreath before the sarcophagus of the Liberator Simon Bolivar in the National Pantheon, Caracas, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Republic of Haiti commemorated this Monday the 222nd anniversary of the Battle of Vertières, a revolutionary feat that consolidated the victory of an enslaved group against French colonialists and marked the independence of the Caribbean nation, against one of the largest military powers in the season.

The ceremony was led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Caribbean, Raúl Li Causi, and the Haitian ambassador to Venezuela, Jean Mary Vaval, accompanied by representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country.

Led by the independence hero Jean Jacques Dessalines, supported by generals Christoph, Petion, Clerveau, Romain and the courageous Capois La Mort, this mythical armed confrontation began on November 18, 1803, and was considered a decisive feat and the most important independence feat.

The uprising, recognized as the first great revolutionary movement in colonial America, took place in a profoundly unequal territory, with nearly 570 thousand inhabitants, 88% of whom were enslaved.

Relations between Caracas and Port-au-Prince have a long history of cooperation and mutual support. From Alexandre Pétion's historic aid to Bolivar to PETROCARIBE's energy agreements and humanitarian assistance after the 2010 earthquake, both countries have cultivated an alliance based on solidarity. Venezuela has contributed to projects in areas such as health, education, infrastructure and energy in Haiti.