A coalition of 20 Haitian civil society groups, visiting Geneva for the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD), argued on Thursday that France should pay at least $150 billion in reparations to Haiti for slavery and its aftermath.
The Haitian groups arrived at this amount by taking reparations France collected from Haiti after it became the first Caribbean nation to revolt and win its independence in 1804 and adding 200 years of accrued interest.
“It’s $21 billion plus 200 years of interest that France has enjoyed, so we’re talking more like $150 billion, $200 billion or more,” University of British Columbia professor Jemima Pierre explained to Reuters on Thursday.
The Haitian Revolution began in 1791 and lasted until 1804, featuring
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