Kenya offers to lead security mission in Haiti

Kenya’s foreign minister has announced his country is ready to lead a multinational force to help restore order in Haiti.

The Caribbean nation has been overwhelmed by gang violence:

• Gangs now control 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince, with the remaining 20% widely seen as disputed territory, and
• Communities have formed vigilante groups in response, killing more than 160 gang members according to one estimate.

This is all compounded by food scarcity, inequality, and political instability.

Intrigue’s take: So why hasn’t the world sent a deployment already?

Well… it has (multiple times). And that’s part of the problem. The last mission (led by the UN) withdrew in 2019 after it was linked to a devastating cholera outbreak and sexual violence. And there are claims these interventions have also helped corrupt local leaders cling to power.

As a result, many of Haiti’s 12 million people oppose the idea of a new intervention, preferring longer-term and Haitian-led solutions. It’s just hard to see these solutions taking shape without some basic security in place first.

Also worth noting:

• Haiti’s last 10 remaining senators finished their terms in January, leaving the country without any elected officials after successive failed efforts to hold elections.
• Haiti’s interim government plus the US, the UN, the Organization of American States, the Bahamas, and others have welcomed Kenya’s proposal.
• The US and Ecuador now plan to introduce a UN Security Council resolution authorising the proposed mission.