Haiti

The Canadian government said on Sunday it deployed a military aircraft over Haiti to address what it called a "dire security situation" and to support efforts to disrupt the activities of Haitian gangs.

[…] In early October, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed a request from the Haitian government to send an international specialized armed force to the Caribbean Island nation to address spiraling insecurity and a deepening humanitarian crisis. Hopes that the United States or Canada might lead the force have not materialized, although both countries have sent equipment to assist the Haitian National Police.

Haiti’s protracted political and humanitarian crisis – marked by spiking levels of gang-related violence and a badly struggling national police force – are reversing crucial security and development strides made since the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake, the senior UN representative in Port-au-Prince told the Security Council on Tuesday. 

[…] “In the 18 months since the assassination of President Moïse, the urgent need for decisive steps to restore democratic functioning and respect for human rights and the rule of law has never been more pressing.”

Haiti awoke Tuesday stripped of its last democratically elected institution — this time, its Senate — an alarming development that solidifies what some call a de facto dictatorship nominally in charge of a country wracked by gang violence.

Criminal gangs are wreaking havoc in Haiti, nudging public opinion toward accepting the idea of an international force that would help restore security. Outside powers should prepare a mission only with solid backing from the country’s politicians, including their pledges to form a transitional government.

Amid continuing gang warfare and a vacuum of law and order, Haiti is “on the verge of an abyss” said the UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Thursday, warning that any hope of a sustainable recovery requires “urgent and sustained action” to tackle the root causes of the overlapping crises afflicting the island nation.

The United States and Mexico said Monday they are preparing a U.N. resolution that would authorize an international mission to help improve security in Haiti, whose government issued a “distress call” for the people of the crisis-wracked nation. … The U.S. ambassador said the proposed “non-U.N.” mission would be limited in time and scope and be led by “a partner country” that was not named “with the deep, necessary experience required for such an effort to be effective.” It would have a mandate to use military force if necessary.

[…] The current situation in Haiti demonstrates the extent to which political, security, development and humanitarian dimensions are intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Armed gangs have thrived in this environment, increasing their strength and influence. In recent weeks, a dramatic deterioration in security

The United Nations Secretary-General is urging the international community to respond to a request from Haiti’s government and urgently consider sending an international specialized armed force to the Caribbean Island nation to address spiraling insecurity and a deepening humanitarian crisis.