Kenya and Haiti have called on international partners to honour their commitments to the UN-backed peacekeeping mission in Haiti, warning that the mission is facing a resource shortage, with its budget set to run out by March 2025. The mission, which is aimed at combating gang violence in the Caribbean nation, is currently led by Kenya.
Kenya has deployed nearly 400 officers, with an additional 600 set to arrive next month. However, this falls far short of the 2,500 officers pledged by various countries, including Chad, Benin, Bangladesh, and Barbados. Jamaica has contributed a small contingent of police officers and soldiers, but overall numbers are still lacking.
Speaking in Nairobi after a meeting with Haiti’s Prime Minister, Garry Conille, Kenyan President William Ruto urged the international community to provide the necessary resources for the mission to succeed. ‘We have a window of success that is evident from the operations that have been carried out already,’ Ruto said.
Conille echoed Ruto’s call, asking international partners to send the officers they had promised. He emphasised that the Kenyan contingent in Haiti needed further support to continue their efforts in tackling the country’s escalating gang violence.
Gang attacks surge
Haiti has been ravaged by gang violence, with heavily armed groups now controlling up to 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Just last week, the Gran Grif gang carried out one of the most deadly attacks in recent years, killing at least 115 people in a farming region, according to local authorities.
Despite the growing violence, the mission is struggling to secure adequate funding. The UN has received $68 million of the $85 million pledged for the mission, leaving a significant shortfall.
A winnable fight
Conille remains optimistic, stating that his regular discussions with the Kenyan commander lead him to believe the fight against Haiti’s gangs is ‘winnable.’ However, he stressed that the international community must deliver on its promises if the mission is to be successful.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, Haiti’s gangs have grown in power, resulting in a surge in killings, rapes, and kidnappings. Civilian vigilante groups have also formed in response to the violence, adding to the chaos in the capital.
In early October, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to extend the mandate of the Kenya-led multinational force. However, calls from Haiti to transform the force into a full UN peacekeeping mission have been dismissed for now.
The situation in Haiti remains critical, and without additional support, the mission’s future is uncertain as gang violence continues to spiral out of control.
Source: Africabriefing
