Kenya Urges Stronger Haiti Mission at UN as Interim Leader Seeks Help and Civil Groups Object
The Kenya-led force remains far below planned strength, prompting calls to expand and better fund the operation through a more formal international framework.
Overview
- Kenyan President William Ruto told the UN the security mission in Haiti is under-resourced, with about 1,000 personnel deployed versus the 2,500 originally expected.
- Ruto urged a retooled multinational operation with adequate funding, equipment and logistics, arguing that security can be restored if partners fully commit.
- United States officials have been promoting plans to convert the mission into a more robust anti-gang force with a dedicated UN office and potentially up to 5,550 police and troops.
- Ruto said the mission has achieved limited gains despite constraints, citing regained control of the presidential palace and port and the reopening of schools.
- Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council president, Laurent Saint-Cyr, appealed at the UN for international assistance, while Haitian civil society groups publicly rejected another foreign military intervention.