"Enough is enough!" Haiti's Prime Minister said: We will take back our country bit by bit
The first batch of the UN-authorized multinational security support mission arrived in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, on the 25th, and will assist the Haitian police in restoring local security and order. Haitian Prime Minister Gary Cornille vowed that the government will re-establish its prestige and take back control from gangs.
About 200 Kenyan police officers arrived in Port-au-Prince on the 25th. They are the advance team of the 2,500-strong multinational force. According to the resolution adopted by the United Nations last year, the peacekeeping force is sent by about 16 countries, mainly from Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.
Monica Juma, Kenyan President's National Security Advisor and former Foreign Minister, who arrived in Haiti along with Kenyan police personnel, said at a press conference that this force will assist the Haitian National Police in restoring public order and security as soon as possible, "hopefully this will not be a permanent mission."
According to the Associated Press, Haiti has been the subject of external military intervention three times in its history, the last of which was the United Nations stabilization mission from 2004 to 2017.
Haitian Prime Minister Cornille welcomed the arrival of the Multinational Security Support Mission on the 25th. He said: "We have finally waited for the multinational force, they will help our national police... Haiti is going through a very difficult period, we have had enough... We will take back our country bit by bit."
Haiti requested a multinational peacekeeping force in 2022, and the United Nations passed a relevant resolution in October 2023. Kenya agreed to take the lead and promised to send the main force. However, due to legal challenges to the dispatch of troops in Kenya, insufficient funding and the deteriorating security situation in Haiti, the multinational security support mission has been delayed.
According to the UN resolution, the annual budget of this multinational force is 600 million US dollars, but so far only 18 million US dollars have been raised. The United States previously promised to contribute 300 million US dollars, but this money has not yet arrived.
Haiti is plagued by gangs and rampant crime. Gangs control 80% of the territory in the capital Port-au-Prince, and more than 500,000 people have been displaced. In the first three months of this year, more than 2,500 people were killed or injured in gang violence.
The main gangs in Haiti have not yet responded to the deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission. Romain Le Coeur, an expert at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, said that the reaction of the gangs is difficult to predict. "Some may continue to fight and kill, while others may want to negotiate and start a dialogue with the Haitian government."
On July 7, 2021, Haiti's then-President Jovenel Moise was assassinated. Haiti was originally scheduled to hold a general election before February 7 this year, but it failed to take place as scheduled, triggering social unrest. Since February 29 this year, several gangs have attacked public facilities in Port-au-Prince, demanding the resignation of then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
On April 12, the Haitian government issued a decree announcing the formal establishment of the Transitional Presidential Council. According to the decree, the Transitional Presidential Council will temporarily exercise certain presidential powers during the transition period before the elected president takes office. The Transitional Presidential Council was sworn in on April 25, and Prime Minister Henry announced his resignation at the same time. The Council later appointed a new prime minister and cabinet members.
The Haitian Transitional Presidential Council said on May 21 that once the Multinational Security Support Mission is deployed, it will be "fully controlled" by the Haitian National Police. The personnel composition, operational objectives and rules of engagement of this force will be determined by the Haitian National Police. Earlier this month, Haitian Prime Minister Cornille announced the reorganization of the National Police and the replacement of the National Police Director.
