Gang violence in Haiti: now a massive international police operation should help. The Wagner troop has a new leader – Prigoshin is followed by Prigoshin

An international police operation with support from the United Nations is intended to stabilize the crisis country Haiti torn by gang violence. The UN Security Council on Monday approved the deployment of more than a thousand police units led by Kenya to the Caribbean country for a period of twelve months. The most powerful body within the United Nations, which is otherwise so often divided, voted in favor of the deployment by 13 votes, with only Russia and China abstaining.

“I welcome the Security Council resolution to send a multinational mission,” Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry wrote after the decision in New York on the news platform X, formerly Twitter. “Thank you to our brother country Kenya for accepting command of this mission. Thank you in advance to all countries joining this force.” The government in Port-au-Prince had requested international support in view of the escalating violence in the Caribbean state.

Ambivalent relationship with the United Nations

The mission is not a United Nations operation itself, but a deployment under Kenyan command that is officially supported by the Security Council. Haiti has an ambivalent relationship with the UN: the desperately poor country is dependent on international development aid. On the other hand, according to experts, peacekeepers also introduced cholera after the devastating earthquake in 2010. Moreover, peacekeepers are said to have repeatedly raped, abused or sexually exploited Haitians during their 13-year deployment. Millions starving and unchecked violence

Haiti has suffered for years from fighting between gangs that control much of the capital Port-au-Prince and terrorize the population with great brutality and sexual violence. The number of kidnappings has also increased dramatically. Recently there was a vigilante movement by residents against the gangs. The violence also worsens the already precarious supply situation. According to the United Nations, almost half of the eleven million inhabitants suffer from acute hunger.

“Haiti is facing a security, but also a humanitarian and socio-economic emergency,” said UN Special Envoy to Haiti María Isabel Salvador. “Haitian politics must demonstrate that it is up to the challenges facing the country and its people.”

According to the United Nations-affiliated Organization for Migration (IOM), almost half of the displaced people in Port-au-Prince are now living in makeshift accommodation where sanitary conditions are extremely poor. Many are said to have sought shelter with friends or family. However, the ability of host communities to share their scarce resources will decline as the crisis continues. According to IOM, there are almost 200,000 displaced people nationwide. In addition, approximately 100,000 Haitians have been deported from surrounding countries this year.

Operations against gangs – infrastructure protection

Monday’s U.N. Security Council decision followed a years-long search for a country willing to take responsibility in Haiti, at the request of U.N. Secretary General António Guterres. A Canadian-led operation, which was initially preferred from a UN perspective, did not get off the ground. Kenya is now expected to join additional forces from Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda in operations against the gangs and work with authorities in Haiti to protect critical infrastructure.

Haiti is located between North and South America on the island of Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic is located on the eastern half of the island. Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. For years the country has suffered from corruption, violence and natural disasters. Since the devastating earthquake in 2010 that left more than 220,000 dead, Haiti has been dependent on development aid. The UN’s goal now is to have a force of ideally 2,000 international police officers; this number is unlikely to be reached with the commitments made so far. That is why other countries can be added to send troops. (sda/dpa)