- A resolution to send a multinational force to Haiti under the command of Kenya has been approved.
- The military may deploy by the resolution for a period of one year, with a nine-month review.
- The resolution does not, however, include a realistic or reliable schedule for the use of the force.
A resolution to send a multinational force to Haiti under the command of Kenya has been approved by the UN Security Council to battle violent gangs in the Caribbean nation.
The military may deploy by the resolution for a period of one year, with a nine-month review. This is the first time a force has been sent to Haiti since a mission that was authorized by the UN almost 20 years ago.
Gang violence in Haiti
The vote, according to Haiti’s minister of international affairs, Jean-Victor Généus, is a sign of solidarity with a people in need and a ray of hope for those who have endured far too much misery.
Although there is no definite timeline for deployment, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently stated that a security mission to Haiti might be sent “in months.”
According to Alfred Mutua, Kenya’s minister of foreign affairs, the force should be in Haiti by January 1, 2024, “if not earlier.” It is anticipated that the force’s deployment will bring peace and security back to Haiti, enabling it to hold the long-awaited general elections.
The resolution does not, however, include a realistic or reliable schedule for the use of the force. To ensure long-term success, Sérgio França, the president of the UN Security Council, has pushed for a political solution in Haiti based on free, transparent, and fair elections.
For charges of using lethal force and torture, the Kenyan-led expedition, which ended in October 2017, has drawn criticism. Following a spike in murders, rapes, and kidnappings, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry asked for the deployment of a foreign military force, which led to the decision.
