UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday approved a Kenyan-led mission aiming to bring stability to Haiti, a year after leaders in the violence-hit Caribbean country first pleaded for help.
The Western Hemisphere’s poorest country has been in turmoil, with armed gangs taking over swaths of the country and unleashing brutal violence, and the public health system and economy also in tatters.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been urging since late last year for global support to back the police force, but much of the international community had been jaded by the failure of earlier interventions in Haiti, according to AFP.
Monday’s resolution passed with thirteen votes in favour, with Russia and China abstaining. It was appreciated by Haitian foreign minister Jean Victor Geneus as bringing a glimmer of hope for people who have been suffering the consequences of a difficult security, political, socio-economic, and humanitarian situation for too long.
A breakthrough in plans for the force came in July when Kenya volunteered to lead it and send one thousand personnel.
World Must Not Fail People of Haiti
Kenyan President William Ruto said in a statement Tuesday that the world must not fail the people of Haiti. They had borne the brunt of colonial repression and plunder.
Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said separately that this mandate is not only about security and peace, but also about the rebuilding of Haiti — its politics, social stability, and its economic development.
The resolution demanded the deployment of a multinational security support mission, not officially a United Nations force with a “lead country” coordinating with the Haitian government.
The mission is initially approved for one year, with a review after 9 months.
The resolution said that the force aims to provide operational backing to the Haitian National Police, including building its capacity through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations.
The mission will also create conditions to hold polls, which have not taken place in Haiti since 2016.
UN Chief Guterres in a recent report said that the security situation in Haiti has only grown worse, with gang members both better armed than the police and more numerous.
At least 2,800 homicides were recorded in Haiti from October 2022 to June 2023, with eighty minors among the dead, the UN report said.
