IN SUMMARY
- The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to send a multinational armed force led by Kenya to Haiti
- Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda have also offered to send officers for the force,
- Nairobi has said it will send 1000 police personnel and the US will fund the programme
The U.N. Security Council voted Monday to send a multinational armed force led by Kenya to Haiti to help combat violent gangs, marking the first time in almost 20 years that a force would be deployed to the troubled Caribbean nation.
The resolution drafted by the United States and Ecuador was approved with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from China and the Russian Federation.
The resolution was endorsed by 13 of the 15-member Council, including Africa’s representatives; Mozambique, Ghana and Gabon .
Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda have also offered to send officers for the force, whose size has yet to be determined.
Police in Port-au-Prince patrolled the streets in April. Haiti called in October for international help to combat gang violence.
The US has offered logistic support and $100m in financing.
READ ALSO:Kenya to send its Police Officers to Haiti to fight gangs
The Council passed the resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which signals the situation in Haiti a threat to global peace and security.
Nairobi has said it will send 1000 police personnel and the US will fund the programme to the tune of $100 million if the Congress agrees.
Canada has said it will support the programme too although it will not be sending troops. Jamaica, Antigua and Berbuda, Belize, Senegal, Spain, Suriname and the Bahamas are also expected to send personnel.
Kenyans cast doubt on the ability of Kenyan Police
The gangs in Haiti , have over the last two years been robbing, looting, extorting, kidnapping, raping and killing.
Armed with automatic weapons smuggled in mostly from the US, the gang members often out-gun the local police, sometimes burning their vehicles and stations.
READ ALSO: Why Kenya Peace-keeping Mission in Haiti Could be Risky
Many critics have cast doubt on the ability of Kenyan police to take on Haiti’s gangs.
They will need to come face-to-face with the armed gang members in unfamiliar terrain.
