The United Nations Security Council has approved an agreement that will send Kenyan military personnel to Haiti, in order to improve security on the Caribbean island nation.
“The mission was requested by the Haitian government and civil society representatives, following months of chaos and steadily worsening conditions affecting civilians. There have been more than 3,000 homicides reported this year, and over 1,500 instances of kidnapping for ransom,” the UN said in a statement.
“Around 200,000 have been forced to flee their homes while sexual violence and abuse against women and girls at the hands of armed gangs ticks up. Tens of thousands of children are unable to go to school.”
Kenya has been working on the security arrangement for months, with President William Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry formally establishing diplomatic relations while in New York to attend last month’s UN General Assembly. Henry has appealed to the international community for help in dealing with gang violence and lawlessness.
Thirteen of the 15 security council votes were in support of the mission, while Russia and China abstained. Pedro Comissário Afonso, speaking for Mozambique as well as Ghana and Gabon, said Kenya’s leadership was an important stepping stone toward protecting Haiti and its people.
The council has “ignited a beacon of hope for the beleaguered people of Haiti in adopting the resolution,” said diplomat Martin Kimani, Kenya’s representative to the UN. His country “is steadfast in its belief that the adoption will be a seminal contribution to the renaissance of Haiti’s security and a catalyst for the fortification of governance, socioeconomic uplift, and the rule of law.”
Image: UN-Habitat/Julius Mwelu file
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