The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved a yearlong multinational security mission to Haiti, led by Kenya and aimed at stabilizing the violence-wracked Caribbean. Thirteen of the 15 Security Council members approved the police mission; Russia and China abstained.
U.N. approval wasn't necessary since the mission will be led by Kenya and not the U.N. Department of Peace Operations, but Nairobi said it would not proceed without U.N. backing and the auspices of international law such support confers.
The multinational mission was approved to help the outgunned Haitian National Police regain control in a country where heavily armed gangs control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and where murder, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual violence are rampant. The Kenya-led force is expected to guard critical infrastructure and help the Haitian National Police with "targeted operations." But "key details, including the size of the mission, when it will be deployed, rules of engagement and exit strategy, remain to be worked out," The Washington Post noted.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kenya has said it plans to send about 1,000 "well-resourced and effective" security personnel as soon as January, and about a dozen other nations have said they will join in, including several from the Caribbean. The U.S. has pledged up to $200 million in aid and support for the mission.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry called for international intervention a year ago. He has led a caretaker government since the still-unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. "Haiti lost its last democratically elected institution in January after the terms of 10 remaining senators expired, leaving not a single lawmaker in the country's House or Senate," Politico reported.
Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Généus called the newly approved mission "a glimmer of hope" and "an expression of solidarity with a population in distress." Haitian civic and human rights groups were more cautious, noting the long history of failed interventions in the country, including a 2004-2017 U.N. mission mostly remembered for a cholera outbreak that killed 9,000 Haitians.
-
5 dramatically dysfunctional cartoons about the government shutdownCartoons Artists take on life without government, foam finger pointing, and more
-
October 4 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include the Einstein files, defunding the police, and an odd tribute to Jane Goodall
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipeThe Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Gaza genocide: will UN ruling change anything?Today's Big Question Commission of inquiry’s findings ‘give unprecedented weight’ to genocide claims
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sitesIn The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
