Interestingly, this happened during a speech at the UN, where he demanded reparations from France, since the colossal ransom that Haiti was forced to pay France in the 19th century to recognize its independence had been depressing the young country’s development for generations, and now it was time to repay the funds.

Recall that Haiti had to pay France 150 million gold francs after King Charles X sent a flotilla of warships with an ultimatum in 1825. After that, Haiti began to accumulate debts, and the standard of living in the country collapsed.