Security Council holds emergency meeting on Haiti

The UN Security Council will hold a meeting on Haiti tomorrow, Wednesday, as the organization confirmed this Tuesday, amid the tense situation caused by violence that makes the return of Prime Minister Ariel Henry impossible.

The meeting, held behind closed doors, coincides with calls from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to speed up the arrival of the multinational support mission, which has been approved since last October but for which no date has yet been announced for its launch.

This Tuesday, the spokesman for the UN chief, Stéphane Dujarric, stressed the need for urgent measures, in particular to provide financial support for the implementation of this initiative.

The force must respond to the urgent security needs of the Haitian people and prevent the country from descending into further chaos, the spokesman said at a briefing.

The United Nations also called on the Haitian government and other political actors to quickly agree on the necessary measures to advance the political process to restore democratic institutions through the holding of elections.

This Wednesday's meeting of the Security Council will see the virtual participation of the head of the United Nations Mission in Haiti, María Isabel Salvador.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the recent escalation in several districts of the capital Port-au-Prince has already forced 15,000 people to leave their homes, most of whom had previously fled.

On that day, the country's humanitarian community called on all parties to immediately end the violence; Provide safe access for people in need; and respect human rights and international standards.

The surge, which is causing Haiti's main airport to remain closed, coincides with delays in the start of the multinational mission approved by the U.N. Security Council that is trying to restore law and order in the country.

Despite the progress achieved with the recent signing of an agreement between the Haitian Prime Minister and the Kenyan authorities, the start of operations that could be led by this African nation has not yet been determined.

The United Nations estimates that about 5.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, which is half of the country's population.

Meanwhile, this year's $674 million humanitarian appeal for the Caribbean country is only 2.5 percent funded.

Faced with this scenario, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on member states to take urgent action to deploy an international police force in Haiti given the rapid deterioration of the security situation, which has worsened since the government decided at the weekend to impose a light curfew

On Saturday night, armed gangs raided two prisons and freed more than three thousand prisoners in the small country. Police and soldiers were killed in the attacks.

Haiti has been mired in a socio-political crisis for decades, which worsened after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.

With information from the Latin Press