UN Security Council approves bigger force in Haiti to tackle gangs

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By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday agreed to a U.S. proposal to more than double the size of an 15-month-old underfunded and understaffed international security mission combating armed gangs in Haiti, sparking criticism of Washington by China and Russia. 

Armed gangs have taken control of almost all of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince in a conflict that has forced some 1.3 million people from their homes, and fueled famine-level hunger. UNICEF said last month that children make up an estimated 50% of gang members in the Caribbean country.

“This dramatic expansion of gang violence has jeopardized the very existence of the Haitian state,”  U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz told the council. 

Russia, China and Pakistan abstained from the vote on the measure put forward by the United States and Panama. The remaining 13 council members voted in favor. 

NEW FORCE, SAME PROBLEMS? 

The new force will still rely on voluntary contributions of personnel and funding, but the leadership structure will be different. It will be led by a group of representatives from countries that have contributed personnel, plus the U.S. and Canada. The force will also be supported by a new U.N. field office.

It remains unclear how the new force will overcome the challenges faced by the current Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission. 

Kenyan President William Ruto told an event at the U.N. last week that the mission has struggled with staffing and logistics. While he praised Washington for stepping up, he said the vehicles it provided “were second-hand vehicles, and therefore they broke down a lot.” However, he said Kenya was ready to participate in the new mission.

“Today’s vote is a recognition that, due to the lack of true burden sharing, the international community had failed to deliver a mission that was fit for purpose. It lacked the scale, scope and resources needed to take the fight to the gangs and restore a baseline of security in Haiti,” Waltz said. 

Russia and China were both critical of the United States, accusing it of failing to stop an illicit flow of weapons to Haiti from the U.S. and not providing enough funding for the initial MSS mission. They also said the United States had rushed through a resolution that was ambiguous on several critical issues, including rules of engagement.

  “Let us be frank, if that contributor failed to provide the promised funds for the MSS, what guarantees are there that things will be different with this new mission?” asked Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, describing the money needed for Haiti as very modest compared to the billions of dollars spent by countries to send weapons to Ukraine. 

Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. 

VENEZUELA CONCERNS

He also echoed concern raised by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday about how the United States could interpret the GSF mandate. The resolution adopted on Tuesday authorizes countries taking part in the GSF to take all necessary measures to carry out its mandate – code for the use of force.

“We have no certainty that the authors of today’s text will not come up with some kind of – quote, unquote – creative way to link their military activity to allegedly combating drug cartels,” Nebenzia said. 

The U.S. mission to the U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks.

China’s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong said Beijing did not veto the resolution on Tuesday “in light of Haiti’s dire security situation and the concerns and appeals of the international community.”

“This represents the utmost goodwill that China could demonstrate. At the same time, we must point out that our questions and concerns remain. We are deeply worried about the operation and prospects of the GSF,” he added. 

A top U.S. official in Haiti last week said that continued U.S. funding for the current U.N.-backed security force in Haiti would not be guaranteed if the Security Council rejected Washington’s proposal to restructure and expand the mission.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Christian Martinez and Alistair Bell)