The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to extend the mandate of the Kenya-led multinational force aimed at combating gang violence in Haiti. However, the Council dismissed Haiti’s call to initiate talks on transforming the mission into a UN peacekeeping operation.
The resolution, which passed with a 15-0 vote, came after China and Russia succeeded in removing a provision that would have acknowledged Haiti’s request for a peacekeeping force. The request was made by Edgard Leblanc Fils, president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, during last week’s UN General Assembly session. This was the first formal support for a UN peacekeeping mission since the United States proposed the idea in early September.
Currently, nearly 400 Kenyan officers are deployed in Haiti, alongside two dozen police officers and soldiers from Jamaica. However, this is well below the 2,500 officers pledged by countries such as Chad, Benin, Bangladesh, and Barbados. The mission also faces significant funding shortages.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, praised the vote, saying it “sends a strong message to the people of Haiti: The world is standing with you.” She emphasized the urgent need for additional financial support and reiterated the call for transforming the mission into a UN peacekeeping force.
However, China’s deputy UN ambassador, Geng Shuang, expressed skepticism about the idea, citing the failures of previous peacekeeping missions in Haiti. “The U.N. has sent multiple peacekeeping operations in Haiti, but the results have never been satisfactory,” he said. He argued that the Kenya-led force should be allowed to fulfill its mandate before considering other options.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, echoed China’s stance, stating it was too soon to consider changes to the international mission, given that the Kenyan officers had only been deployed for three months.
The decision leaves the Kenya-led mission in place, but without the expanded support that Haiti had hoped for through a UN-backed peacekeeping force.
