Kenya mission to Haiti still on despite legal, financial hurdles

The Kenyan-led mission to help secure Haiti is still on despite logistical, legal and funding hurdles that have delayed the deployment of a force of 1,000 by months.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry confirmed in a statement this week that he will visit Nairobi to "finalise the paperwork with Kenyan authorities".

He said the visit will take place after he participates in the 46th ordinary meeting of the US delegation to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of State and Government, which ends Wednesday in Guyana.

"Then Prime Minister will travel to Nairobi, Kenya, to finalise the modalities of the deployment of the MSS with Kenyan authorities and those of other countries on the African continent," the statement added.

The MSS is the Multinational Security Support Mission, a force approved by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on October 2, 2023, to help restore law and order in a country plagued by gang violence.

Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry attends the first roundtable of the European Union-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Summit (EU-CELAC) in Brussels, Belgium on July 17, 2023. (Photo: Nicolas Landemard / Anadolu Agency via AFP)

Benin's troops

During the summit in Georgetown, the US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced that Benin had pledged up to 2,000 troops.

Thomas-Greenfield met Haitian government leaders, CARICOM heads of government, and representatives of the UN, Britain, Canada and France.

"The leaders agreed on the urgency of deploying the UN-authorised Multinational Security Support mission to enable the Haitian National Police to restore peace and security, enable the holding of free and fair elections, and alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Haiti," Nate Evans, spokesman for the US Mission to the UN, said after the meeting.

Guyana welcomed the announcement that Benin was mulling the 2,000-strong troop contribution.

"It is a welcome development," Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud of Guyana, which holds the rotating CARICOM presidency, said.

He underscored the importance of her point that like Haiti but unlike other CARICOM countries, the West African nation of Benin is French-speaking.

Guyana has offered financial support for the mission, but Persaud would not disclose the amount.

Benin contributed to the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah), which deployed from 2004 to 2017 and counted some 10,000 Blue Helmets at its peak.

Despite its planned deployment of a bigger force, it is expected that the mission will still be led by Kenya, which is appealing a court decision that halted the deployment of police officers to the mission.

UN's humanitarian appeal

Meanwhile, the UN has launched a US $674 million appeal for humanitarian projects in Haiti, which is now facing a severe food crisis following the closure of its major supply routes by gangs.  The UN says 45 per cent of the population is now food insecure.

The UN appeal comes a week after the agency established a trust fund to receive contributions for the MSS.

The kitty is set to receive $200 million pledged by the United States and $80.5 million pledged by Canada as calls on more countries to make their contributions are made.

The Canadian donation is expected to support training, communications and logistics, as well as expertise in areas like human rights due diligence, while the US pledge will go towards operational support for the Haitian National Police, helping with planning, intelligence, airlift capacity, communications, and medical equipment and services.

France, Germany, and Jamaica have also announced financial, personnel, and in-kind commitments to the UN-authorised mission.

A nation of at least 10 million, Haiti has been in turmoil for years, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence, leaving the economy and public health system in tatters.

An estimated 200 criminal groups are contesting various parts of the country, with half of those reportedly controlling 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for progress on deploying the new mission to Haiti, where the UN says more than 1,100 people were killed, injured or kidnapped in January alone.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month he was "appalled" by the violence in Haiti, adding that it was "difficult to overstate" the crisis.

Additional reporting by AFP