UN sets to vote on resolution to authorise Kenya-led multi-national armed force to help Haiti fight gangs

The United Nations is expected to vote on a resolution to sanction Kenya’s offer to lead a multi-national force to Haiti in a bid to help the embattled country solve its internal security troubles.If adopted, it would mark the first time a force has been deployed to Haiti since the U.N. approved a stabilization mission in June 2004…

The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution authorising a one-year deployment of an international force to assist Haiti in containing a surge in gang violence.

It is anticipated that the move will help in restoring security so that the impoverished Caribbean nation may hold long-delayed elections.

The draft resolution from the United States on Saturday, welcomed Kenya’s offer to lead the multinational security force, according to an Associated Press report.
The resolution would give the force a one year mandate, with a review after nine months.

The force would be permitted to give tactical support to Haiti’s National Police, which is underfunded and understaffed, with only about 10,000 active officers for a country of more than 11 million people.

If approved, it would be the first deployment of a force to Haiti since the United Nations endorsed a stabilization mission in June 2004 that was tainted by a sexual abuse scandal and an outbreak of cholera. That mission came to an end in October of 2017.

Powerful gangs have taken control of critical routes going from Haiti’s capital to the country’s northern and southern regions, impeding transportation of food and other supplies.

According to a recent United Nations report, more than 2,400 people were killed, 950 were kidnapped, and 902 were injured in Haiti between January 1 and August 15.