UN’s Kenya Led Force
In a landmark decision, the U.N. Security Council voted on Monday 2nd October to send a multinational armed force led by Kenya to Haiti to help combat violent gangs, marking the first time in almost 20 years that a force would be deployed to the troubled Caribbean nation.
The resolution drafted by the United States and Ecuador was approved with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions from China and the Russian Federation.
The resolution authorizes the force to deploy for one year, with a review after nine months. The non-U.N. mission would be funded by voluntary contributions, with the U.S. pledging up to $200 million.
The vote was held nearly a year after Haiti’s prime minister requested the immediate deployment of an armed force, which is expected to quell a surge in gang violence and restore security so Haiti can hold long-delayed elections. Haiti’s National Police has struggled in its fight against gangs with only about 10,000 active officers in a country of more than 11 million people.
“More than just a simple vote, this is in fact an expression of solidarity with a population in distress,” said Jean Victor Généus, Haiti’s foreign affairs minister. “It’s a glimmer of hope for the people who have been suffering for too long.”
A deployment date has not been set, although U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said a security mission to Haiti could deploy “in months.”
Hours after the vote, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry thanked the U.N. Security Council, the U.N.’s secretary general and Kenya and other countries who agreed to join the force, saying, “The bell of liberation sounded…. We couldn’t wait any longer!”
Haiti has been plagued by political instability, poverty, and violence for decades, with armed gangs controlling large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince and other areas. The situation worsened after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, which left a power vacuum and a constitutional crisis. The Haitian government appealed for international help to restore order and security, as well as to hold elections.
The size of the joint task force is yet to be known. Planned to include personnel from other countries such as Jamaica, Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda, the force will have the mandate to conduct joint operations with the Haitian police, arrest gang members, protect civilians, and create conditions for credible elections. Kenya’s government has previously proposed sending 1,000 police officers.
Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian Federation’s U.N. ambassador, said he did not have any objections in principle to the resolution, but that sending an armed force to a country even at its request “is an extreme measure that must be thought through.”
He said multiple requests for details including the use of force and when it would be withdrawn “went unanswered” and criticized what he said was a rushed decision. “Authorizing another use of force in Haiti … is short-sighted” without the details sought by the Russian Federation, he said.
China’s U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, said he hopes countries leading the mission will hold in-depth consultations with Haitian officials on the deployment and explained his opposition to the resolution.
“Without a legitimate, effective, and responsible government in place, any external support can hardly have any lasting effects,” he said, adding that a consensus for a transition is urgently needed as well as a “feasible and credible” timetable. “Regrettably, the resolution just adopted fails to send the strongest signal in that regard.”
Généus said he’s grateful the resolution was approved because a foreign armed force is essential but noted that it’s “not enough.”
“Socioeconomic development must be taken into account to take care of extreme poverty,” he said, adding that it is the source of many of Haiti’s problems and has created fertile ground for the recruitment of young people by gangs.
About 60% of Haiti’s more than 11 million people earn less than $2 a day, with poverty deepening further in recent years as inflation spikes.
The deployment of an armed force is expected to restore peace and security to Haiti so it can hold long-awaited general elections that have been repeatedly promised by Prime Minister Ariel Henry after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Haiti lost its last democratically elected institution in January after the terms of 10 remaining senators expired, leaving not a single lawmaker in the country’s House or Senate. Henry has been ruling the country with the backing of the international community.
The president of the U.N. Security Council, Brazil’s Sérgio França, noted that without a Haitian political solution based on free, transparent, and fair elections, “no … aid will guarantee lasting success.”
International intervention in Haiti has a complicated history. A U.N.-approved stabilization mission to Haiti that started in June 2004 was marred by a sexual abuse scandal and the introduction of cholera, which killed nearly 10,000 people. The mission ended in October 2017.
Top Kenyan officials visited Haiti in August as part of a reconnaissance mission as the U.S. worked on a draft of the resolution.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., told reporters that the resolution contains strong accountability and vetting language and that she’s confident Kenya will be able to carry out the mission.
“I can assure you the U.S. will engage on these issues very, very aggressively,” she said. “We’ve learned from mistakes of the past.”
Monday’s vote comes nearly a year after Haiti’s prime minister and 18 top government officials requested the immediate deployment of a foreign armed force as the government struggled to control gangs amid a surge in killings, rapes, and kidnappings.
From Jan. 1 until Aug. 15, more than 2,400 people in Haiti were reported killed, more than 950 kidnapped and another 902 injured, according to the most recent U.N. statistics. More than 200,000 others have lost their homes as rival gangs pillage communities and fight to control more territory.
Among those left homeless is Nicolas Jean-Pierre, 32, who had to flee his house with his partner and two children and now lives in a cramped school serving as a makeshift shelter with others like him. He has sent his family to temporarily live in the southern coastal city of Les Cayes to keep them safe. Jean-Pierre said he would like the foreign armed force to be based in his neighbourhood “so I can have a life again.”
“The sooner they get here, the better it will be,” said Jean-Pierre, who is seeking work after gangs burned down the garage where he used to work as a mechanic.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan thanked Kenya and other nations who have pledged to join the mission, saying it would bring much-needed help to Haiti’s population.
“We have taken an important step today, but our work to support the people of Haiti is not done,” he said.
Kenyan President William Ruto hailed the decision as “a critical instrument” that will “provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti” and “enable the nations of the world to discharge a collective moral duty of securing justice and security for all peoples of all nations”. He also said that Kenya would like to help Haiti rebuild its infrastructure and establish a stable democratic government.
However, Kenya’s offer to lead a UN-backed security mission in Haiti has sparked mixed reactions from both local and international observers, who have raised concerns about the human rights record of the Kenyan police and the potential impact of the intervention on the fragile situation in the Caribbean nation. Not everyone is convinced that Kenya is the best choice to lead such a mission. Critics of the Kenyan-led mission have noted that police in the East Africa country have long been accused of using torture, deadly force, and other abuses. Human rights groups have pointed out that the Kenyan police have a notorious reputation for using excessive force, committing extrajudicial killings, and violating the rights of protesters and civilians. According to Human Rights Watch, dozens of people were killed by the police during anti-government demonstrations in Kenya in July 2021.
Amnesty International Kenya urged UN member states, human rights organizations, and citizens to thoroughly examine the “human rights and humanitarian implications” of deploying an armed multinational force to Haiti. It also called for “a clear exit strategy” and “a robust monitoring mechanism” to ensure that the mission respects human rights and international law.
Some Kenyan civil society groups have also opposed the deployment of their police officers to Haiti, arguing that it has “no strategic geopolitical value” for Kenya and that it undermines the spirit of Pan-Africanism. They also questioned the legality and constitutionality of sending police officers outside the country without public participation or parliamentary approval.
The Kenyan government has dismissed these criticisms as “inaccurate” and “unfounded”, insisting that its police officers are well-trained, professional, and disciplined. It has also said that it will abide by the UN guidelines and rules of engagement for peacekeeping operations.
The success or failure of the Kenyan-led mission in Haiti will depend on several factors, such as the level of cooperation and coordination with the Haitian authorities and other stakeholders, the availability of adequate resources and equipment, the respect for human rights and humanitarian principles, and the ability to address the root causes of violence and instability in Haiti.
While Kenya’s offer to help Haiti is commendable, it should not overshadow or ignore its own domestic challenges. Kenya has a history of violent elections, marked by allegations of vote rigging, ethnic tensions, and police repression. Elections typically results in deaths, mostly caused by police brutality. Kenyan authorities have done little to ensure accountability for these abuses or to implement electoral reforms.
Another pressing issue facing Kenya is the escalating conflict between humans and wildlife, which has led to the killing of several lions in recent weeks. Kenya is home to some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife species, such as lions, elephants, rhinos, and giraffes. However, these animals are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, poaching, climate change, and human encroachment.
Kenya’s wildlife is not only a national treasure but also a global heritage. It is also a vital source of income for the country’s tourism industry, which has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is in Kenya’s best interest to conserve its wildlife and prevent further killings.
The drought that has affected Kenya for several years has worsened the situation, as wildlife struggle to find food and water within their shrinking ranges. This forces them to wander into human settlements, where they often prey on livestock or attack people. In retaliation, some herders resort to spearing or poisoning wildlife, especially lions.
According to CNN, ten lions have been killed in southern Kenya this past week alone. Six of them were speared by herders after they killed 11 goats and a dog in Mbirikani area near Amboseli National Park. Another lion was killed by herders in Olkelunyiet village after preying on livestock. This lion was Loonkiito, one of Africa’s oldest lions at 19 years old. Conservationists described him as “a symbol of resilience and coexistence” and lamented his death as a “tough situation for both sides, the people and the lion”.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has expressed concern over the spate of lion killings and has held meetings with local communities to explore ways to minimize the risk of human-wildlife conflict. Some of the measures discussed include developing early warning systems, enhancing livestock protection, providing compensation for losses, and promoting benefit sharing from wildlife conservation.
Though the KWS runs several programs to protect wildlife and their habitats, such as anti-poaching patrols, wildlife translocation, community education, and wildlife census, the efforts are often hampered by limited resources, corruption, and lack of political will.
With concerns raised around the capacity of Kenya to make a positive impact on such a scale, Kenya also needs to address its own problems, such as human rights violations, electoral violence, and human-wildlife conflict. These issues will not only affect the well-being of its people but also its reputation and credibility as a leader and partner in the international community.
Whilst Kenya has the potential to be a positive force for change and development in Africa and beyond, it also has the responsibility to uphold its own values and principles at home and abroad.
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