NEW YORK, USA – Without greater international engagement, Haiti risks sliding deeper into crisis, leaders warned on Monday at a meeting in New York convened to address the country’s security collapse.
Kenya’s president William Ruto, who heads the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), noted limited progress since the police force deployed 15 months ago with UN Security Council approval.
“When we arrived, the airport was surrounded by gangs. Today, it is functioning perfectly,” he said, also pointing to the securing of the presidential palace and reopening of key access routes to the capital Port-au-Prince.
Yet gangs still control some 85 percent of the city, he acknowledged. The MSS, hampered by insufficient resources, has been unable to break their grip as its mandate nears expiry.
The United States, echoing Kenya’s concerns, urged a stronger UN-mandated presence. “Haiti is at a crossroads,” warned Under Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
Washington is pressing for the transformation of the MSS into a 5,500-member so-called Gang Suppression Force, operating under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which authorises military action to counter threats to peace.
“The time to act is now. The Haitian people cannot wait,” he stressed, calling on Member States to back a draft resolution tabled with Panama.
Haiti can’t go it alone
For Haitian authorities, international support is indispensable. “Haiti cannot and will not be able to face this security crisis, fuelled by transnational criminal networks, alone,” said Laurent Saint-Cyr, president of the country’s Presidential Transitional Council.
The Security Council is expected to decide shortly on the future of international engagement in Haiti, where hunger, displacement and sexual violence continue to worsen alongside the insecurity.
