Three months after a lightning visit by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to Port-au-Prince to see for himself the serious drift ravaging Haiti, The UN Security Council approved the deployment of a new international force to the Caribbean country with the aim of strengthening the local police and Stop criminal gangs that operate with impunity.
The UN, with its blue helmets, will play no role in appeasing the criticism that still exists among Haitians due to the excesses of the international mission led by this organization for a decade and which ended in scandals in 2017, on this occasion it ended will be an ad hoc international force led by Kenya and that it will be formed with uniformed personnel from countries that voluntarily join the initiative, which will initially be funded by the United States.
The decision was made on October 2 at a meeting of the UN Security Council. Although China and Russia did not support the measure, they decided not to use their veto power, paving the way for approval after Guterres personally devoted several months to the matter.
In September, amid a lackluster UN General Assembly in New York, The topic was reactivated at the express request of the incumbent Prime Minister of HaitiAriel Henry, and the repeated calls of the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, who for a year has been calling on the international community to take the most decisive action to address a multifaceted crisis.
Haiti is the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to various international organizations. In addition, it was hit by various natural disasters that had a major social impact.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) estimates that more than 60% of the population is poor and 45% suffer from acute food insecurity International humanitarian cooperation is needed. Haitian poverty is concentrated in rural areas and from there there is a continuous outflow that has a direct impact on the Dominican Republic. Both countries share the island of Hispaniola.
This emerges from the resolution adopted on Monday with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions (China and Russia). “multinational security assistance mission” in which the UN will not intervene directly The operation will initially be set up for a period of 12 months, with a review after nine months.
Your goal is “Providing operational support to the Haitian police” in the fight against gangs and in the security of schools, ports, hospitals and airports, as widespread violence and territorial control by criminal gangs has virtually paralyzed daily life in Haiti. Between October 2022 and June this year, 2,800 murders were committed with virtual impunity.
The The mission is coordinated by Kenya, which has already promised 1,000 of its police officers, a decision that must be confirmed in the parliament of this African country. Foreign police officers will train their Haitian colleagues and help secure key points. The Security Council has authorized them to take “emergency measures,” including “carrying out arrests.”
Next to the Kenyan police Jamaica, Bahamas, Barbados and Antigua have already offered to provide men. The United States has pledged $100 million for the initial activation of this multinational force.
The UN decision has already sparked controversy in Kenya. On the one hand, it was deemed unconstitutional. Others believe that Kenya will not emerge well from this mission. “Our police officers have a serious record of human rights violations and corruption,” Martin Mavenjina of the Kenya Human Rights Commission told Radio France International.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Kenyan police officers can be deployed to Haiti in January at the latest.
In Haiti, meanwhile, there are bad memories of the last international mission. Led by UN peacekeepers, it was completed in 2017 after just over a decade. This deployment of military and police personnel was launched to counter violence and instability in the country.
After the devastating earthquake of 2010, in which around 220,000 people died, the role of this UN mission expanded. However, in 2017, the Security Council suspended it due to serious corruption scandals, sexual abuse and allegations by UN soldiers of causing a cholera epidemic.
The soldiers threw their waste into water used by civilians, causing the virus to spread and killing about 10,000 people. The United Nations accepted responsibility for the events a few months after the end of the mission.
This new mission will be approved on October 2nd the thirteenth action of the international communitygiven the local inability of Haitian institutions to deal with chaotic situations, including the consequences of natural disasters and dynamics related to the political instability itself.
Intermediate UN officials confirmed to DIARIO DE CUBA that the Secretary-General is not just sending a force to restore security on the streets of Haiti António Guterres is putting pressure on Haitian political actors to restore a minimal institutional framework This makes it possible to call new elections.
After a few years of certain stability during the government of Michel Martelly, The institutional crisis became clear in Haiti from 2015 onwards. Jovenel Moïse’s victory was not immediately recognized and there was a long discussion between the state authorities about when his mandate should end. Parliament claimed this in 2020 and the President claimed this in 2021.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary elections were postponed and, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the country was left without a parliament and the judiciary was also dissolved, leaving Moïse as the sole ruler until his assassination in July 2021. .
The planned elections were suspended and an incumbent prime minister has been in power since then. Henry literally proclaimed himself, as there were no other public powers that could authenticate him. The Prime Minister, as the culmination of the serious institutional crisis, The election board members were suspended more than a year ago.