Earlier in September, the U.S. suggested establishing a U.N. peacekeeping force as a method to secure consistent funding for the multinational effort aimed at assisting Haiti’s national police in managing rampant gang activity, which currently faces a severe financial shortfall.
Following that proposal, gang aggressions surged, culminating in a violent episode last Sunday. This unrest coincided with the dismissal of Haiti’s interim prime minister by a transitional council formed to facilitate a return to democratic governance, which has been embroiled in political discord. According to U.N. estimates, gangs currently hold 85% control of the capital and effectively shut down the main airport on Monday by firing at aircraft and injuring an attendant.
The United States is working to secure approval from all 15 U.N. Security Council member nations on a draft resolution aimed at facilitating the transformation of the Kenya-led force into a U.N. operation. This draft requests U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to swiftly commence “contingency preparations and planning” for this transition, a process expected to take months to finalize.
A deadline for flagging objections to the resolution was set by the U.S. for Thursday. However, two diplomatic sources indicated that both Russia and China, who have expressed their reservations publicly about shifting to a U.N. force, declined to endorse the proposal.
As per Russian statements, they demand an open briefing from the U.N. Secretariat followed by confidential consultations within the Security Council regarding the current situation in Haiti, with this briefing arranged for Wednesday afternoon. These diplomats requested anonymity due to the confidential nature of the discussions.
Initially, the force was designed to comprise 2,500 international police officers; however, Maria Isabel Salvador, the leader of the U.N. political mission in Haiti, reported to the council last month that only about 430 personnel are currently in place, with about 400 coming from Kenya and the remainder from the Bahamas, Belize, and Jamaica.
Kenyan President William Ruto has indicated that an additional contingent of 600 personnel will be deployed to Haiti in November. Salvador also highlighted that the U.N. trust fund that finances the multinational force is critically underfunded, relying heavily on voluntary donations, which poses challenges for deployment and successful support of Haiti’s national police.
As of Friday, the fund has acquired $85.3 million of the $96.8 million that was pledged, with the United States committing $300 million towards this multinational venture. Despite this, the total required to sustain a 2,500-strong force for a year amounts to $600 million, as estimated by the Security Council. Concerns remain regarding whether the incoming administration will maintain voluntary financial support for the force.
Gang violence has escalated in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, leading to rising incidents of murder, sexual violence, and kidnapping, which have provoked civilian uprisings by local vigilante groups. Haitian leaders have formally requested a U.N. peacekeeping force, and a recent U.S. draft resolution points out that the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a resolution on November 13 that supports Haiti’s plea for a U.S. peacekeeping mission.
The deployment of the first Kenyan troops in June marked the fourth significant military intervention in Haiti’s history. While certain segments of the Haitian population welcomed their presence, others remain hesitant about both the multinational force and the prospect of a new U.N. mission, recalling past interventions with caution.
Haiti has experienced at least three major foreign military interventions since the early 1900s, primarily led by U.S. and U.N. forces. The previous U.N. peacekeeping operation, active from 2004 to 2017, was overshadowed by serious allegations of sexual misconduct and the introduction of cholera, resulting in nearly 10,000 deaths.