New ‘Gang Suppression Force’ will take the fight to the heavily armed rebel criminals.
It’s a point of contention whether the US as the Western Hemisphere superpower must deal with the Haiti chaos.
If for a moral imperative or geopolitical considerations, is it worthy of consideration to tackle a situation in a very poor country where the rebel criminal gangs have control of 90% of the Capital Port-au-Prince?
Apparently, the Donald J. Trump administration has decided it wants to – or has to – take the lead in the international effort to stabilize the ‘hell hole’.
Earlier, on Thursday (28), the US announced that it is seeking UN authorization for a new ‘Gang Suppression Force’ to help tackle the spiraling violence in Haiti, as it arises that the heavily-armed criminal groups are expanding their attacks to the countryside.
Associated Press reported:
“Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea made the announcement at a U.N. Security Council meeting, but it was unclear how it would differ from the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support force now deployed in the violence-torn Caribbean nation trying to help police curb gang violence. Shea thanked Kenya for answering Haiti’s call ‘at a critical moment’ and leading a multinational force for more than a year, saying without it ‘the gangs would have been even more emboldened in their ambitions and brazen atrocities against civilians in Haiti’.”
Shea said the US and Panama will sponsor a draft resolution to the Security Council to establish the ‘Gang Suppression Force’ with U.N. logistical support to it.
The Kenyan peace force arrived in Haiti in June 2024, but while the force was supposed to be 2,500-strong, it is currently below 1,000 troops.
“The U.S. announcement follows a report that the security firm of former U.S. Navy SEAL Erik Prince will soon deploy nearly 200 personnel from various countries to Haiti as part of a one-year deal to quell gang violence, a person with knowledge of the plans said earlier this month.
The deployment by Vectus Global is meant to help the government of Haiti recover vast swaths of territory seized in the past year and now controlled by heavily armed gangs, said the person, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the plans.”
Miami Herald reported:
“One area of contention is the U.N. package that would fund lethal equipment, which Guterres had avoided mentioning in his proposal. Another is the change involving the Haitian police. The Kenya mission was sold as providing support to the Haitian police by reinforcing, training and mentoring cops. But in reality, that didn’t happen, as the Haitian police high command failed to provide intelligence on gangs, and internal fighting and political tensions with the country’s transitional government fractured the already divided force.
Unlike the current, mostly police-led Kenya mission, which cannot conduct operations on its own, the newly revised force would be authorized to act independently of the Haiti National Police. In giving the new mission more autonomy, U.S. officials are hoping to stop the violence that has led to thousands of deaths since the foreign troops’ arrival.
‘The next international force must be resourced to hold territory, secure infrastructure, and complement the Haitian national police. In parallel, a comprehensive approach is required to disrupt gang financing, arms trafficking and other illicit flows fueling instability’, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea told the Security Council on Thursday.”
Read more:
Blackwater’s Erik Prince to Send 200 PMCs to Haiti Hell, as US Indicts Gang Leader Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, and Offers $5 Million for Information Leading to His Capture
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