US pleads for new beefed-up multi-national force in Haiti

The UN Security Council is expected to vote soon on strengthening the security force.

The United Nations Security Council approved the creation of the Multinational Security Mission (MSS), led by Kenya, to support the overwhelmed Haitian police in 2023 in their fight against rampant gang violence.

But the force, under-equipped and under-funded, has deployed only a thousand officers of the 2,500 that had been expected.

The mission "remains limited in its ability to act," Haitian transitional presidential council president Laurent Saint-Cyr said Monday.

"(It) has not yet been able to sustainably secure territory, and the gangs have exploited these shortcomings to reorganize and extend their influence," said Saint-Cyr Monday during a meeting at the UN.

He threw his support behind the initiative proposed by the United States and Panama to expand the current deployment.

"This mandate would empower the force to proactively target gangs and restore security to Haiti while ensuring it has the appropriate tools to succeed the mission's anticipated objectives," Christopher Landau, United States Deputy Secretary of State, said.

Those objectives "include reducing territorial control by gangs, securing critical infrastructure and conducting anti-gang operations," he added

The new force could include up to 5,550 uniformed personnel, both police and soldiers, and no longer just police, according to the latest draft resolution seen by AFP.

It would be accompanied by the creation of a UN support office suggested several months ago by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide the necessary logistical and financial support.

"Unfortunately, adopting this resolution is not a given. Despite the majority support of the Security Council, some might try to prevent its adoption or slow down our response to Haiti," Landau said.

Russia and China, which have veto power, have so far not fully participated in negotiations, a diplomatic source said.

China has already expressed skepticism about the feasibility of the force without a political transition in Haiti.