In light of the ongoing gang violence that has plagued Port-au-Prince, the capital of the Caribbean nation of Haiti, for more than a year, President William Ruto has welcomed the UN Security Council’s acceptance of a foreign security operation there.
A resolution allowing the ‘Multinational Security Support mission’ to assist Haitian police in battling the gangs was approved by the 15-member council on Monday.
The resolution, which was written by the US and Ecuador, received 13 yes votes, with China and Russia choosing to abstain.
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President Ruto expressed his approval of the council’s choice in a press release on Tuesday, calling it “an important and long overdue instrument to define the multinational mission.”
Ruto saw the task as the world community’s moral responsibility.
“The circumstances in Haiti require, as a matter of action be greatly scaled up to meet the demands of emergency relief, humanitarian aid, assistance for livelihoods, and big initiatives in public health and environmental protection,” said Mr Ruto.
“This is because of humanitarian consideration, moral responsibility, and fundamental fairness.”
As Jamaica, Antigua, and Barbuda promise to assist, Kenya has promised to send 1,000 troops to Haiti; the Bahamas has committed 150 personnel.
The mission, according to President Ruto, “will provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti.”
In light of Africa’s colonial past, he described Kenya’s action as a confirmation of the Pan-African commitment to the continent’s unity and the African Union’s policy of solidarity with the African Diaspora.
“This mission is especially important and urgent for us in Kenya. We went through the long, arduous, and discouraging fight for freedom against those who may sway international institutions to thwart justice, as well as the traumatic effects of colonialism, were both mentioned by Ruto.
“In our struggle, we always had friends—not a huge number of strong allies, but still real, devoted, and resolute friends.”
“Our beloved friends in Haiti are in need right now. It is our fundamental moral responsibility to support them and act as their friend,” maintained President Ruto.
Ruto thanks Ghana, Mozambique, Gabon, and all other UN Security Council members for their assistance with the procedure.
“In Haiti, we will prevail. The president continued, “We must not let the people of Haiti down.
The resolution passed on Monday permits the mission “to take all necessary measures” — code for using force — in taking on the gangs is a priority.”
Cosequently, China and Russia abstained from the vote out of concern that doing so would authorize the use of force generally in accordance with Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.
Alfred Mutua, the cabinet secretary for foreign affairs, has previously stated that the Kenyan troops will arrive in Port-au-Prince “in the coming months,” without providing a specific date.
Following interlocking public health, political, and economic problems, armed gangs have taken over huge tracts of Haitian land.
Since President Jovenel Mose’s murder in July 2021 in his home in Port-au-Prince, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere has descended into turmoil.
According to statistics from the UN, there have been more than 2,400 violent deaths there since the year’s beginning.
The following called for the intervention of a multinational army, and last month the United States reported that up to a dozen nations had volunteered their support while committing its own logistical support.