Haiti: U.N. Chief Supports Rapid Armed Force in the Country to Reclaim Control From Haitian Gangs

The U.N. chief has supported the request of Haiti for immediate deployment of an armed force in the country to take back control of its areas from Haitian gangs.

The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, proposed in a letter to the Security Council the quick armed force deployment to Haiti, which will be composed of military personnel from one or more foreign nations, according to a Miami Herald report.

Guterres noted that the quick deployment of military force would help the Haiti National Police get fuel and water flowing in the country again. The blockade of the Varreux fuel terminal has prevented critical services required to prevent the quick spread of cholera in Haiti.

Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement that the most vulnerable sectors of the Haitian population are those hit the hardest. Dujarric noted that the U.N. chief urged the international community to consider the matter of urgency after the request of the Haitian government for immediate deployment of armed forces.

Guterres wrote in the 11-page letter that a return of United Nations peacekeeping force "was not the preferred option of the authorities" in Haiti.

Haiti's Request for Armed Force

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for international help during a televised speech, urging the international community to support Haiti "in every necessary way to avoid the situation worsening."

CNN reported that Henry said they need to be able to distribute water and medicine as cholera is making a comeback in Haiti.

Aside from armed forces deployment, the U.N. Secretary-General may also employ other U.N. capacities to "support a ceasefire or humanitarian arrangements."

The letter also suggested two options for Haiti such as establishing an international police task force to help and advise local officers or creating a special force to fight Haitian gangs, as reported by ABC News Go.

The letter stated that if member states do not step forward for "bilateral support and financing," the U.N. operation may be an alternative.

The Secretary-General also acknowledged that Haiti is currently experiencing an outbreak of cholera amid "a dramatic deterioration in security."

Henry's request for military deployment came after one of Haiti's most powerful gangs surrounded a key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince. It prevented the distribution of around 10 million gallons of diesel and gasoline.

Haiti's Cholera Outbreak

UNICEF representative, Bruno Maes, said in an Aljazeera report that 1.2 million Haitian children are threatened due to the resurgence of the illness in the capital. Local health authorities have reported dozens of suspected cases since the start of October.

Maes said that many of the poorest Haitian families have no option but to drink and use unsafe water, adding that "garbage is not collected in the streets" while hospitals are closed or unable to provide services.

Between October 1 and October 4, five cholera cases had been confirmed, according to Haiti's Public Health and Population Ministry.

The health ministry of Haiti also reported 52 suspected cases of cholera, of which 15 were children aged four and under.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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