The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti. Security Council extends mission mandate in Haiti for one year Peace and Security
The UN Security Council on Monday extended the mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti for another 12 months. The Security Council approved its creation last year.
The mission is mandated to provide assistance to the Haitian police force. Led by Kenya, it currently has some 410 police officers on the ground. Some 2,500 more are expected to join its ranks.
The country is in crisis due to escalating gang violence. The mission is trying to curb the violence and create conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as the holding of free and fair elections.
In unanimously extending the mission’s mandate, the Council called on its leadership to expedite the deployment of the force and called on all countries to provide additional contributions and support.
An unprecedented security crisis
Last Thursday, the Chairman of Haiti’s Presidential Transitional Council, Edgar Leblanc Fil, spoke at the UN General Assembly’s general debate, warning that his country was facing “an unprecedented security crisis.”
“Citizens are afraid to even move freely or go to school, especially around the capital, Port-au-Prince,” he said, calling on the UN to support the country.
The unchecked violence has also led to a sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation across the country, with more than half the population already facing hunger.
Haiti Calls for Full Peacekeeping Force sil
Haiti’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Antonio Rodrigue, welcomed the extension of the mission’s mandate but stressed that it must become a fully-fledged UN peacekeeping operation.
He said it had “demonstrated its effectiveness in some critical areas, particularly in restoring security in areas previously controlled by armed gangs.” However, he warned that there were still many challenges.
Gang violence continues to ravage society, he said, adding that despite the arms embargo, gangs still have access to weapons and ammunition.
The Haitian ambassador stressed the need to increase financial support and reinforcements for the mission, and reiterated that its transformation into a peacekeeping operation “seems not only necessary but also urgent.”