Haiti Crisis: UN Security Council Approves Sending Security Forces To Country Led By Kenya

By Rick Martin Oct 02 2023, 22:46 PM EDT

The UN Security Council has now decided on how to deal with the Haiti Crisis, and their solution is to send a peacekeeping force led by Kenya to fight the gangs taking over the country.

This would be the first time in years that a multinational armed force would be deployed to Haiti, with the mission being led by Kenya. The country has been ravaged by gangs, which have taken over the majority of the capital city, Port-au-Prince.

The vote itself was almost unanimous, with the resolution being drafted by the United States and Ecuador. China and Russia abstained from voting, with the motion being approved with 13 votes.

The UN peacekeeping force will be deployed in Haiti for about a year. A review will happen after nine months and decide if the peacekeeping force should stay. Meanwhile, a non-UN mission would be funded by voluntary contributions. This includes a $200 million pledge from the United States.

According to the Associated Press, the vote happened nearly a year after embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for an immediate deployment of an armed force to help repel the invading gangs. The peacekeeping force is expected to not just fight gangs but also restore security so the country can hold its long-delayed elections.

So far, the Haiti National Police has struggled to contain the gangs, which outnumbered and outgunned them. The police force only has around 10,000 active officers to serve Haiti's population of 11 million people.

"More than just a simple vote, this is, in fact, an expression of solidarity with a population in distress, said Haiti Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus. "It's a glimmer of hope for the people who have been suffering for too long."

Haiti Residents Skeptical of UN Security Council's Peacekeeping Force

While there is still no date when the peacekeeping troops led by Kenya would be deployed to deal with the Haiti Crisis, the Associated Press reported that Haitian residents themselves are already skeptical.

The main reason for this skepticism was because the last time a foreign armed force was deployed to Haiti, it caused a sexual abuse scandal and a deadly cholera outbreak. This was also a UN peacekeeping force and was deployed in 2004. The mission was rife with scandals.

However, the Associated Press noted that many Haitians also acknowledge that such a force is needed to combat the gangs. Despite this, critics also pointed out that Kenya, which is leading the mission, is infamous for police brutality, and this might lead to more scandals.

Haitian Americans Call on Joe Biden To Not Support UN Peacekeeping Force Led By Kenya

Meanwhile, over in the US, the National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network and Family Action Network Movement wrote a letter to Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken with a request.

According to The Hill, they asked President Biden to withdraw support for a Kenya-led peacekeeping mission in Haiti as well as drop his support of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is very unpopular back in Haiti.

"Any military intervention supporting Haiti's corrupt, repressive, unelected regime will likely exacerbate its current political crisis to a catastrophic one," they wrote in the letter. "It will further entrench the regime, deepening Haiti's political crisis while generating significant civilian casualties and migration pressure."