Armed gangs that are terrorising the nation will be defeated by an international security force under the command of Kenya.
The small Caribbean nation of Haiti is being terrorised by criminal gangs and militant organisations, and Kenya is leading a global security effort there to battle them.
On Monday, the UN Security Council approved the security mission with the support of 13 members and two abstentions from Russia and China. The law permits deployment for a year, but also calls for a reassessment after nine months.
The international force will be commanded by Kenyan commanders rather than being directly under the control of the UN. They will protect vital facilities, including as hospitals, schools, hospitals, and main thoroughfares, in addition to participating in “targeted operations” with the Haitian national police force.
Up to 1,000 troops have already been committed by Kenya, and additional financial, human, and material contributions are anticipated from other countries. Washington has committed $200 million to the project, which will be funded by voluntary contributions from UN member states.
‘Security mission’ requested by the US for HaitiUS requests’security mission’ in Haiti
By sanctioning the mission, the Security Council, according to Martin Kimani, Kenya’s representative to the UN, “ignited a beacon of hope for the beleaguered people of Haiti.”
In the wake of the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, US officials have frequently pushed for an international mission in Haiti, citing the “deteriorating security situation” and “dire” humanitarian crises.
With armed gangs even seizing control of some of Haiti’s important ports and causing shortages in essential products, the impoverished nation of 11.4 million people has experienced a significant rise in crime and violence, including kidnappings, robberies, and murders. According to the UN, there were over 1,500 kidnappings for ransom and over 3,000 homicides reported in Haiti this year.
Although the US had earlier agreed to sell the Haitian police a handful of armoured vehicles and had proposed a “limited” deployment of foreign troops, the White House seemed hesitant to take the lead on this kind of operation. Some Haitians have protested to any involvement of Western troops due to the lengthy and frequently violent history of US operations in the nation.
The Security Working Group, a Haitian think tank, said in a statement last year: “The Haitian people have kept the bitter taste of a foreign force in charge of our situation: theft, rape, cholera, food dependence, deregulation of the economic system, without mentioning the fact that we don’t remember seeing then-gang leaders being arrested or rendered unable to do harm.”
Since Moise’s murder, the current Port-au-Prince government has made several requests for assistance, despite some citizens’ scepticism. Last October, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for “the immediate deployment of a specialised armed force” to combat “armed gangs” and put an end to the ongoing turmoil.
