Haitian business leaders ‘extremely concerned’ about delays in Kenyan-led mission

Haitian business leaders said in a letter to Kenyan President William Ruto that they were “extremely concerned” by the delay in the Kenyan government’s promised U.N.-backed security mission to fight criminal gangs in the Caribbean country.

In a letter dated Monday and distributed on Wednesday, leaders of eight top chambers of commerce said they were concerned because the mission has yet to deploy more than six months after it was approved and its initial mandate is coming to an end. .

The United Nations Security Council on October 2 approved the deployment of an international volunteer force to Haiti to help the country’s police fight under-resourced criminal gangs that have consolidated control of nearly all of the capital, Port-au-Prince.

The authorization is valid for 12 months, with a review after nine months, but the mission has yet to be deployed and some countries that have pledged funds or troops have struggled to gain parliamentary approval or have been slow to hand over resources.

Kenya is the only country to have offered to lead the mission, but as of early March it had not submitted a letter to the United Nations formalizing its contribution.

On March 11, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who first requested deployment in 2022, announced his resignation, prompting Kenya to suspend its plans. A few days ago, Henry and Ruto signed an agreement to quickly establish the force.

Haiti has yet to formally establish a transitional committee to replace Henry, although it appointed designated representatives on Tuesday after long delays, leading critics to accuse the government of stalling the process.

Meanwhile, criminal gangs have further escalated their attacks in parts of the capital they do not yet control. Major ports have been closed for more than a month, disrupting the supply of food and essential supplies, leaving millions of people hungry and hundreds of thousands internally displaced.

The letter noted that a transitional council “will be formed soon” and that Haitian business leaders “look forward to welcoming Kenyan troops within a relatively short period of time.”