UN Urges Countries to Consider Sending Armed Forces to Haiti

The situation in Haiti seems to be worsening. So much so that UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed implored member nations in a speech to the UN Security Council on Wednesday to send armed forces to the beleaguered Caribbean nation.

The UN Official website stated that Mohammed reiterated the call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to support the Haitian National Police, which has been so far overwhelmed by the various street gangs that have taken over the entire country, including a majority of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

In her speech, she urged countries with the capacity to send in troops to give urgent consideration to the Haiti government's request for an international specialized armed force. This would help in restoring the country's security, as well as help alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

Haiti Gangs Continue to Terrorize Local Communities

Mohammed confirmed that local street gangs are continuing to expand their violent criminal activities around Haiti, and this includes using killings and gang rape to terrorize the populace, as well as subjugate communities.

Helen La Lime, who serves as the chief of the UN's Integrated Office in Haiti, also spoke to the UN Security Council via a video call and revealed that in November alone, the country recorded 280 homicides, and this is still not counted to the over 1,200 killings that have already been reported for this year. She also pointed out that the number of homicides in the country has doubled from last year.

In addition, La Lime stated that Haiti's police force "continues to be under-resourced and insufficiently equipped to address the enormity of the task ahead."

Territorial conflicts between gangs have also paralyzed the country, as people and goods cannot move freely due to all the fighting. According to VOA News, goods and humanitarian services also find it difficult to move with all the gang violence going around.

The UN pointed out that this insecurity has fueled a resurgence of cholera in the country, as well as increased food insecurity. It has also displaced thousands of citizens and disrupted the education of thousands of children. La Lime stated that around 155,000 people have already been displaced by the conflicts.

These statistics led Mohammed to tell the international community to step up and help Haiti. She said this was the time to "turn the current crisis into an opportunity for Haiti to bounce back stronger."

U. S. and Canada Respond to the Violence in Haiti

With the surge in violence that Haiti is facing right now, U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood stated that the U.S. government will continue advocating for international security support. However, he stated that this includes a "non-U.N. multinational force" which was originally requested by Haiti's government.

The Associated Press pointed out that Wood did not mention whether or not the United States would be sending in troops as part of that multinational force, but did say that the United States has already provided over $90 million in security support to Haiti over the last 19 months. Wood also promised that the country will provide "critical support."

Canada's ambassador to the UN, Robert Rae stated that the solutions to the conflict must be led by Haiti itself and not by Canada or the U.S., nor should it be led by the UN. Canada is currently being talked about as the possible leader of that multinational force.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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