The United States will invest an additional $100 million in a U.N.-backed multinational security force aimed at assisting Haitian police in fighting criminal gangs and provide $33 million in humanitarian aid, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday.
This would bring total U.S. contributions to security forces to $300 million.
In February this year, the United States pledged $200 million to support the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti. The United States stated that the deployment of the mission will help the Haitian National Police create the necessary security conditions to hold free and fair elections.
Blinken joined Caribbean leaders in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday to discuss a proposal for an “expedited political transition” to address the ongoing crisis in Haiti, including the possible deployment of a multinational U.N.-backed security force.
The proposal, developed in partnership with the Caribbean Community, or Caribbean Community, and Haitian stakeholders, comes as Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry faces pressure to resign or agree to form a transitional committee.
The transition will be achieved through the “establishment of a broad-based independent presidential college,” according to a statement from U.S. officials, referring to a proposed commission that would oversee Haiti ahead of the election.
Blinken said in Kingston that the Haitian people were facing “a political crisis, escalating violence and unrest” that was an “untenable situation” that required urgent political and security action.
The United States plans to accelerate the deployment of the United Nations-backed United Nations Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti because escalating gang violence is endangering the country’s government, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told VOA.
“We continue to seek to expedite this mission as quickly as possible,” Miller said at a news conference on Monday, adding that the United States has been in dialogue with Kenya and other governments about the deployment.
“I can assure you that the United States will do its part to fund this important mission,” Miller said.
United Nations response
At the United Nations, all 15 UN Security Council members strongly condemned “increasing violence, criminal activity, large-scale civilian displacement and human rights violations” in a statement on Monday.
Chief of Staff to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on behalf of the united nations At the Caribbean Community meeting in Kingston.
“MSS’s mission is a critical step in creating an environment conducive to free and fair elections and alleviating the humanitarian crisis,” said U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Rapid deployment of MSS is a top priority for U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, she said.
Canada has pledged $91.2 million, and other countries including Benin, France, Germany, Jamaica and Spain have announced financial, personnel and logistical support.
The U.S. military airlifted non-essential embassy personnel from Haiti on Sunday and deployed more troops to bolster embassy security. The operation comes in response to escalating gang violence that has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes and threatened to overthrow the government.
The U.S. State Department said the security situation in Haiti is “unpredictable and dangerous” and that the U.S. Embassy’s ability to assist U.S. citizens is “severely limited.”
Since July 2023, the State Department’s travel advisory for Haiti has remained at Level 4, meaning do not travel to Haiti.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told VOA: “The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince has been under ordered departure status since July 27, 2023. Adjustments during this period are not unusual and do not represent a change in our overall posture.”
Critics’ concerns
Some critics note that while Democratic and Republican lawmakers support ensuring greater stability in Haiti, some have concerns about the Biden administration’s national policies.
Ana Rosa Quintana-Lovett, senior policy director at the Vandenberg Alliance think tank in Washington, said Haiti’s political future will be driven not by Haitians but by the international donor community.
She told VOA on Monday that Haitian Prime Minister Henry’s “leadership is untenable” and that Henry does not realize that he does not have the support of the Haitian people.
“The United States needs to understand that any diplomatic message they put out publicly is, frankly, falling on deaf ears by (Henry),” she added.
She also noted concerns in Congress about the proposal for a Kenya-led multinational force. “The Kenyan military doesn’t speak Creole, so how are they going to engage and work with the Haitian National Police? I mean, there are a lot of holes in that approach,” she said.
Tell me about the situation
Haiti declared a state of emergency on March 3 after a gang attack on the main prison in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Prime Minister Henry was in Kenya at the time finalizing an agreement for a U.N.-backed peacekeeping mission to tackle gang violence in Haiti.
The gang demanded Henry resign. He was reportedly stranded in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Haiti’s government has extended a state of emergency until April 3 and a nighttime curfew until Monday amid escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince.
According to the International Organization for Migration in Haiti, violence perpetrated by armed groups has forced more than 360,000 people across Haiti to flee their homes.
UNICEF warns that critical social services in Haiti are on the verge of collapse and the humanitarian response that millions of children and civilians depend on has been severely compromised.
political transition process
Henry was appointed, not elected, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021. Henry initially promised to step down in early February, but later said security must first be re-established before free and fair elections can be held.
On February 29, CARICOM stated that Haiti’s prime minister committed to organizing general elections before August 31, 2025. CARICOM has expressed its intention to dispatch an assessment team by March 31 this year to assess electoral needs, with the aim of supporting planning and establishing relevant institutions.
Margaret Beshear contributed to this report.
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