(San Juan) The UN Security Council plans to vote on Monday on a resolution that would authorize the deployment of an international force in Haiti for one year.
The aim would be to help quell a surge in gang violence and restore security so the troubled Caribbean country can hold long-delayed elections.
The U.S.-drafted resolution obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday welcomes Kenya’s offer to lead the multinational security force. She specifies that it would be a force external to the United Nations, financed by voluntary contributions.
The resolution would authorize the force for one year, with a review after nine months.
The force would be authorized to provide operational support to Haiti’s national police, which is underfunded and under-resourced, with only some 10,000 active police officers for a country of more than 11 million people.
The resolution states that the force would help strengthen the capacity of local police “through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations in the fight against gangs and the improvement of security conditions in Haiti.”
The force would also help secure “critical infrastructure sites and transit locations such as the airport, ports and key intersections.”
The resolution would authorize the force to “adopt urgent temporary measures on an exceptional basis” to prevent loss of life and help police maintain public safety.
The resolution would require mission leaders to brief the United Nations Security Council on the mission’s objectives, rules of engagement, financial requirements and other matters before its full deployment.
If approved, it would be the first time a force would be deployed to Haiti since the United Nations approved a stabilization mission in June 2004, which was marred by a sex abuse scandal and the emergence of cholera. This mission ended in October 2017.
Concerns have also surrounded Kenya’s proposed mission, with critics noting that the East African country’s police have long been accused of using torture, deadly force and other abuses.
The resolution emphasizes that all those participating in the proposed mission must take necessary measures to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as to monitor all personnel. It also requires prompt investigations into allegations of misconduct.
Additionally, the resolution warns mission participants to adopt wastewater management and other environmental control measures to prevent the introduction and spread of water-borne diseases, such as cholera.
The scale of the force, if approved, was not immediately made clear, although the Kenyan government has already offered to send 1,000 police officers. Additionally, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda have committed to sending personnel.
Last month, US President Joe Biden’s administration promised to provide logistics and US$100 million to support a Kenyan-led force.