UN opens trust fund for Haiti mission as conflict escalates

The United Nations has established a trust fund to receive contributions towards the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti whose deployment has been delayed as the conflict in the country escalates.

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

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

The Canadian donation is expected to support training, communications and logistics for the Kenya police-led mission and expertise in areas like human rights due diligence as the US pledge goes towards operational support to help the Haitian National Police with planning, intelligence, airlift capacity, communications, and medical equipment and services.

Initially, the mission authorized by the United Nations Security Council in September last year was to start its peacekeeping operations early this year but a court decision to overturn the proposal and delayed funds have halted the mission, officials aware of the matter said.

In November last year, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki said the deployment would cost USD 600 million which would be raised by the United Nations member states.

"The cost of implementation of the mission shall be borne through voluntary contributions by the United Nations member states and organisations to a trust fund," said Prof Kindiki at the time.

At the time, he said the ministry had already incurred Sh241 million in the pre-deployment planning that includes training and medical procedures which is expected to be refunded upon deployment.

Kenya has pledged to send 1,000 of the expected 3,000 troops to the Caribbean nation. Other countries sending personnel include; Senegal (350), Burundi (250), Chile, Jamaica, Ecuador, Barbados (200) and Seychelles (190).

In January alone, more than 1,100 people were killed, injured, or kidnapped in Haiti as the situation escalated with gangs now controlling 80 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Delays in response mean more sexual assault on women and children, a strategy deployed by the gangs to terrorize the population.

The violence has further blocked major access routes blocking food, aid and medical relief supplies with millions now in dire need of humanitarian aid.

On the internal front, efforts to deploy the mission have been preceded by multiple assessment visits and conferences that have seen more countries pledge to send troops but the dates for the mission's deployment are yet to be announced.

The mission is expected to go beyond where others failed in the past and, "provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti," President William Ruto said last year in defence of Kenya's move to lead the mission.

"Doing nothing in the face of human suffering is absolutely out of the question. This is a mission for humanity, which connects boldly and directly with the founding principles of the United Nations, and affirms our shared hope that justice is finally coming to the people of Haiti, who have borne the brunt of colonial plunder and repression, as well as post-colonial retaliation and exploitation, leaving them vulnerable to geological, climatic and epidemic calamities," he added.

The state vowed to appeal the court's decision to overturn the proposed deployment.