The United States has said that it plans to introduce a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to authorize a “multinational force” in Haiti after Kenya expressed a willingness to lead the mission, and according to President Irfaan Ali Guyana is part of CARICOM’s effort.
The US State Department on July, 29, in a statement, explained, that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to express their appreciation for Kenya’s contributions to regional peace and stability, including its leadership in addressing the crisis in Sudan and advancing East African Community-led talks to ease tensions in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
At the Forty-Fifth Regular Meeting of Caricom, Heads of Government in Trinidad and Tobago in early July deliberated over the complex crisis enveloping Haiti and expressed their grave concern over the deep humanitarian, security, and governance crises.
In a statement following the meeting, it was explained, that the need for the immediate creation of a Humanitarian and Security Stabilization Corridor under the mandate of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution was noted, and agreed to seek support from international partners to help finance its establishment and the strengthening of security in Haiti.
Jamaica and The Bahamas have since said that they will be contributing personnel to the force.
President Ali when asked yesterday by the Sunday Stabroek whether Guyana was a part of the international efforts to stabilize Haiti, said, “We are part of the Caricom effort.”
In CARICOM’s statement, it was noted that heads of government “are of the view that approaches should be made to Rwanda, Kenya, and other willing international partners to support the strengthening of the Haitian National Police (HNP) and the establishment of the corridor.”
Further, they added that they had welcomed the statement by the Prime Minister of Haiti that he will not seek election but will head a Transition Government to secure the arrangements to transition the country from the security and humanitarian crises until the holding of credible, free, and fair elections.
“Heads of Government acknowledged that the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group (EPG) will continue to work with the Haitian Government and stakeholders in their efforts to find a Haitian-led solution to the crisis.”
However, on July, 31, Al-Jazeera reported that the US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said any mission to Haiti, which is struggling with spiraling gang violence, would first need UNSC authorization.
The article stated, that Miller told reporters that “The United States along with Ecuador are going to introduce a resolution at the UN Security Council to take that step.”
Miller did not specify when exactly the resolution would be put forward, but he said it would happen in the near future.
For months, Haitian officials have been pleading for international support, including a “specialized armed force”, as residents of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other parts of the country reel from widespread violence unleashed by armed gangs.
In early July, representatives of the United Nations repeated their plea for an intervention force to stabilize Haiti, highlighting the growing number of extrajudicial killings of suspected gang members as a sign of the crisis-wracked nation’s insecurity.
But despite enjoying the backing of the UN and the US, the call for a multinational force was stalled as no country had agreed to lead such a mission.
