Kenyan President William Ruto recently visited Haiti to assess the progress of a Kenya-led security mission aimed at addressing the surge in gang violence in the country. The Kenyan contingent had been working alongside Haitian security forces to combat the violence, which had resulted in widespread displacement of Haitian citizens. Despite the presence of foreign police officers, armed groups were still believed to control a significant portion of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
The visit comes after a UN human rights expert warned of a dire humanitarian crisis in Haiti, with armed groups continuing to exert influence and carry out attacks. The Multinational Security Support Mission, spearheaded by the United Nations, had deployed only a fraction of its planned force, and its mandate was set to expire soon. The mission was struggling due to inadequate equipment and resources, while the Haitian National Police lacked the capacity to effectively counter the armed groups. The situation in Haiti was described as a race against time.
The United States, a key supporter of the mission, was working to secure additional funding and personnel to bolster the force. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had visited Haiti to encourage greater contributions and plan a meeting at the UN General Assembly to renew the mission’s mandate. There were discussions about transitioning the mission into a UN peacekeeping operation to ensure sustained support for Haiti’s security needs and pave the way for free and fair elections. However, many Haitians were wary of UN interventions due to past negative experiences, such as a cholera outbreak linked to a UN peacekeeping base and allegations of sexual abuse by UN forces.
Haitian civil society groups acknowledged the need for help to address the ongoing violence but emphasized that a security deployment alone could not solve the country’s systemic problems. They called for safeguards to be put in place to prevent potential abuses by the international police force operating in Haiti. The discussion around the future of the UN-backed mission in Haiti highlighted the complexities involved in addressing the deepening violence and insecurity in the country. Despite efforts from various stakeholders, the situation remained critical, with the looming expiration of the mission’s mandate adding urgency to the need for a sustainable solution to restore stability in Haiti.
