By Sarah Morland
(Reuters) – As increasingly powerful alliances of heavily armed gangs expand their influence over Haiti’s capital, its government formally requested a multinational force be deployed to help its police restore control of the city.
Progress has lagged, but as Prime Minister Ariel Henry traveled to Kenya last week to sign a deal expected to secure Kenya’s leadership, fighting escalated dramatically as armed men broke thousands out of prison, authorities declared a state of emergency and thousands of displaced people fled makeshift camps in the capital.
The United Nations estimates hundreds of thousands have been displaced and thousands killed in the overall conflict, with widespread reports of rape, torture and ransom kidnappings by gangs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Henry first called in October 2022 for a rapid international force to help national police fight the gangs which were quickly growing their influence and military arsenals around the capital, Port-au-Prince, driving a devastating humanitarian crisis.
A year later the United Nations passed a resolution approving the force and setting out a framework, stipulating the mission would not be U.N.-led, though the agency would offer oversight, set up a dedicated trust fund and receive formal commitments from countries volunteering their support.
Countries have been slow to offer support, many raising doubts over the legitimacy of Henry’s unelected government amid widespread protests. Many, both in Haitian communities and abroad, are wary of international interventions after previous U.N. missions left behind a devastating cholera epidemic and sex abuse scandal, for which reparations were never made.
Kenya offered to lead the force last year, but a local court ruled it needed a reciprocal agreement from Haiti. Henry traveled to Nairobi to sign this agreement while fighting escalated in his country, raising on his return by the public. A State Department spokesperson on Monday said they did not know where he was currently was.
TROOPS
The U.N. last month said five countries have formally pledged troops to the force, Benin being the largest known contributor with 1,500 personnel. Chad, Bangladesh and Barbados also made formal pledges, it said without giving more details, as well as the Bahamas, which had previously said it would send 150 people.
Kenya has pledged to lead the force with 1,000 police officers. Late last year, politicians in Kenya’s parliament reported plans to contribute from Burundi and Senegal.
Meanwhile in the Caribbean, Belizean media said the country had pledged 50 soldiers and Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister has pledged an unspecified number of soldiers. Local media also said Suriname would offer personnel.
Under the U.N.’s resolution to deploy the force, states must formally notify its secretary general. There is no deadline. The widely-criticized 2004-17 U.N. mission to Haiti was given an initial mandate of up 6,700 troops.
The U.N. has authorized the so-called Multinational Security Support Mission to use force against alleged gang members while collaborating with local Haitian police to secure routes for humanitarian aid and ensure stringent measures to prevent further rights abuses.
FUNDING
The United States is the largest known financial backer, having pledged up to $200 million. The U.S. has said Guyana has also pledged funds, without saying how much.
Canada later followed this with a pledge of around $59 million and France with some $3 million and a further $924,000 for French and Creole-language training for the mission.
However, as of March 5, a U.N. spokesperson said only $78 million had been formally pledged and less that $11 million deposited in its dedicated trust fund, from Canada and France. No new contributions were made since the state of emergency.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for more countries to offer funds and urged more support from French-speaking nations.
UNCLEAR PLEDGES, CLEAR LIMITS
Several dozen more countries have made unspecified commitments of support, notably Spain and nearby Jamaica. The Miami Herald has reported commitments from Mongolia, Guatemala, Italy and Peru, and El Salvador said they had offered a “study mission” to share technical expertise learned from the Central American country’s own security crackdown.
It was unclear whether this mission took place.
The neighboring Dominican Republic, while calling for deployment, has been clear it will not participate in the force and has erected a border fence and heightened its security patrols. Its president has said he would not allow Haitian refugee camps on its territory.
The country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, has deported tens of thousands back across the border in the past year, drawing criticisms from the U.N. and human rights groups, and does not allow infants of Haitian migrants born in the country to have Dominican nationality.
($1 = 0.9198 euros)
(Reporting by Sarah Morland in Mexico City, Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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