US reiterates support for multinational security support mission to Haiti

28th January 2023

By CMC

REUTERS
Image caption,
Haiti's police force has struggled to contain gang violence

The United States has reiterated its support for a multinational security support (MSS) mission to restore peace and security in Haiti, even as the Kenya High Court last Friday ruled against sending troops to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

“We reaffirm our support of ongoing international efforts to deploy a multinational security support mission for Haiti, as requested by Haiti and authorised by UN Security Council Resolution 2699, and renew our calls for the international community to urgently provide support for this mission,” said US Department of State Spokesman Matthew Miller.

“The United States acknowledges the ruling by the Republic of Kenya’s High Court regarding the deployment of Kenyan police in support of the multinational security support mission to Haiti and the government of Kenya’s stated intent to challenge this ruling,” Miller added.

He is urging the international community to respond urgently to the unprecedented levels of gang violence and destabilising forces “preying upon the Haitian people.”

At the same time, Miller said Washington calls for the restoration of democratic order through an inclusive political process in Haiti.

“We continue to urge Haitian stakeholders to reach consensus on power-sharing and inclusive governance. The only legitimate path to long-term peace and stability is through free and fair elections,” he stated.

The 15-member regional integration movement, Caricom, has so far not issued any official statement regarding the ruling by the Kenya High court, but on Saturday, the government of Kenya said it intended to exhaust all legal remedies at its disposal to challenge the verdict of the High Court of Justice prohibiting the deployment of 1, 000 security agents to Haiti.

The deployment was part of the SS mission (MSS) in aid of the Haitian National Police(NHP) in its fight against gangs and for the restoration of public order.

“Although the government respects the rule of law, we have nevertheless decided to immediately challenge the High Court verdict,” said Isaac Mwaura, the spokesperson for the government.

“The government reiterates its commitment to honour its international obligations as a member of the community and committee of nations […] Kenya has an exceptional record of contributing to peacekeeping missions at the international level in countries such as South Sudan, Namibia, Croatia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, among others…” he added.

On Friday, Justice Chacha Mwita declared that the National Security Council did not have the mandate to deploy police officers in another country.

In October last year, Kenya’s National Security Council had requested Parliament’s approval for the deployment of Kenyan police officers as part of the UN-backed security mission. The National Assembly then approved this deployment.

In its ruling, the High Court said that parliamentary approval was only required for military, and not police deployments.

But it said, for officers to be deployed, there needed to be a reciprocal arrangement with the host government, which the petitioners had argued, with no contest from the government, was not currently in place.

Last Thursday, Haiti’s Foreign Minister, Jean Victor Généus, pleaded for the deployment to be sped up, telling the United Nations Security Council that violence in the country was as barbaric as in a war zone.

The United Nations (UN) Special Representative to Haiti, Maria Isabel Salvador, also told the UN Security Council that the crisis in Haiti had reached “a critical point”.

“I cannot over stress the severity of the situation in Haiti, where multiple protracted crises have reached a critical point,” said Salvador in presenting the latest report of the UN political office in Haiti, known by the French acronym as BINUH.

She said more than 8,400 people were victims of gang violence in Haiti last year, including killings, injuries and kidnappings, a 122 per cent increase over 2022.

Several Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, The Bahamas and Belize, have indicated willingness to be part of the UN-backed mission.

But Minister of State in the Ministry of National Defense in Belize, Oscar Mira, said an official decision has not yet been made and that Belmopan is waiting for directives from its Caricom counterparts.

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