UN approves Kenya-led multinational armed force to combat gang violence in Haiti

Kenya’s president William Ruto has welcomed the UN Security Council’s resolution to send a a multinational armed force led by the East African nation to Haiti to help combat violent gangs, pledging “not fail the people of Haiti.”
Ruto made these remarks on Tuesday (2 October), only hours after Monday’s vote at the UN that marked the first time in almost 20 years that a force would be deployed to the troubled Caribbean nation. The president said the Kenya-led force “shall succeed in Haiti,” adding that it “will provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti.” Gang violence has escalated dramatically in the Caribbean nation, with killings, kidnappings and rape becoming part of everyday life. Haiti’s National Police has struggled in its fight against gangs with only about 10,000 active officers in a country of more than 11 million people.
The resolution, drafted jointly by the United States and Ecuador — and finally approved by 13 members of the UN Security Council, with Russia and China abstaining — authorizes the multinational force to deploy for one year, with a review after nine months. Haitian officials call the UN Security Council resolution a ‘a glimmer of hope’, despite concerns over foreign intervention. The non-UN mission would be funded by voluntary contributions, with Washington pledging up to $200 million. While Kenya’s government had earlier proposed to send 1,000 police officers, it wasn’t immediately clear how big the whole force would be.