‘Kenya can’t do it alone’: US urges more nations to join Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force
The US says global action is needed to expand the Kenya-led force to 5,500 troops and stabilise gang-ravaged Haiti.
The United States has urged more countries to contribute to Haiti’s Gang Suppression Force (GSF), saying additional funding and troop commitments are crucial to reach the mandated strength of 5,500 personnel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Canada, said Washington had already funded the first phase of the force’s transition and called on other nations—especially those within the region—to step in for the next phase.
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"Well, I mean, the Canadians have stepped up already. So we have two challenges in Haiti. The first is we have to finish out the transition period to the gang suppression force, so there's another three months early next year that has to be funded. We have agreed to fund the first half of the transition phase, which takes us to the end of this calendar year. And now the money needs to be raised from international partners to fund the second three or four months transition. Then we need to raise money for the UN office and the gang suppression force, and we have to get countries to volunteer to send forces. We can't just have the Kenyans doing it alone with 2,000 troops," he said.
On 30 September, the United Nations Security Council approved the transformation of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti into the more robust Gang Suppression Force (GSF). The new force is backed by a newly established UN Support Office and the Organisation of American States (OAS).
5,500 troops
The GSF, which has a capacity of 5,500 troops, was mandated to operate for an initial 12 months. The UN Support Office is tasked with providing logistical backing, including transport, supplies and infrastructure support.
Kenyan police officers, who were initially deployed under the MSS mission, have now transitioned to the GSF, which operates under an expanded mandate and broader responsibilities. The Kenyan contingent continues to conduct targeted operations and patrols as the mission awaits reinforcements from other countries and the establishment of the UN Support Office.
"So there's a lot of work to be done. We work on it every single day. We have a whole crew that's working on that every single day. And we're asking for three things: money for the remaining transition phase – we've covered half of it, the rest of the world should be able to cover the other half; second is money for the UN office and the gang suppression force; and third are the forces. Countries make a commitment to bring forces to bear so that it can rise to 5,000 as opposed to 2,000. And we're very grateful to what the Kenyans have done already, so we don't want to see them abandoned, and we welcome them and we encourage them to remain a part of the gang suppression force," Secretary Rubio said.
Kenya's role
Asked whether Kenya would continue leading the new force, Secretary Rubio said discussions on that were ongoing.
"Well, that's what we're working on right now. As you can tell, I mean, it's not – like no – it's work to be done in that regard, and we think there needs to be more hemispheric participation in that regard. It really is something that we'd like to see higher levels of participation from our hemisphere," he said.
"Now, we welcome other countries as well, but we think it's important that countries in our hemisphere participate in this since it is a hemispheric challenge."
Rapid Support Forces
Meanwhile, the top US diplomat said Washington would support a proposal by some US senators to designate Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as either a foreign terrorist organisation or a specially designated global terrorist group, if that would help end the ongoing conflict.
"I haven't seen that proposal. I know some senators discussed it with me months ago. But in the end, this needs to stop," he said. "And I think, unfortunately, what's happening here is the RSF has concluded that they're winning and they want to keep going. And by going, they're not just fighting a war, which war alone is bad enough. They are committing acts of sexual violence and atrocities, just horrifying atrocities, against women, children, and innocent civilians of the most horrific kind. And it needs to end immediately."
There are growing concerns that the continued violence in Sudan could turn the country into a breeding ground for jihadist and terrorist activity.
"And we're going to do everything we can to bring it to an end, and we've encouraged partner nations to join us in this fight. And we're not going to let the Quad process that we've set up be a shield that people hide behind and say, 'Well, we're involved with the Quad. We're trying to solve it.' We need actionable results, and they need to happen very quickly; otherwise, what's already a travesty is going to get far worse," he added.
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