The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has approved to dispatch a multinational armed force, spearheaded by Kenya, to Haiti in a bid to quell the rampant gang violence plaguing the nation.
This move comes as the first such intervention in nearly two decades, marking a renewed international effort to stabilize the embattled Caribbean country.
The resolution, jointly proposed by the United States and Ecuador, garnered 13 affirmative votes, with China and the Russian Federation choosing to abstain.
The approved mission, which has been authorized for a year-long deployment with a preliminary review at the nine-month mark, aligns with prior statements from Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Alfred Mutua, who clarified that any deployment would follow the acquisition of a UN Security Council mandate and adherence to Kenyan constitutional protocols.
Lending their support to the mission, countries including The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Antigua and Barbuda have expressed commitments to play active roles in training the Haitian police force and aiding in the restoration of critical infrastructure that has been decimated by gang activities.
Adding financial assistants to the operation, the US has committed a substantial $100 million to back the initiative.
This international intervention comes at a crucial time for Haiti, whose National Police, with a mere 10,000 active officers, faces overwhelming odds in its battle against gang violence, particularly given its population size of over 11 million residents.