UN extends Haiti security mission for another year as violence soars
Al JazeeraSep 24
UN Extends Haiti Mission for Another Year
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Above: Kenyan police hold guns while they wait for President William Ruto to arrive in Port-Au-Prince at Haiti's Toussaint Louverture International Airport on September 21, 2024. Image copyright: Clarens Siffroy/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
On Monday, the UN Security Council (UNSC) unanimously voted to renew the mandate of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to assist Haiti's national police in cracking down on gang violence for another year.
The resolution — brought forward by the US and Ecuador — extends the Kenya-led security mission, which currently has around 407 officers on the ground in Port-au-Prince, until Oct. 2, 2025.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Delayed for months due to political turmoil in Haiti, the initial MSS deployment only arrived in the country in June — but has since had some progress despite funding challenges. There's still a long way to go to address gang violence and bring stability back to the country, and renewing this innovative mission is only part of the solution. The next step is to turn that into a traditional UN peacekeeping operation.
Establishment-critical narrative
None of the US-sponsored interventions in Haiti have been particularly successful, including the just-renewed MSS mission. It's inconceivable that in the face of yet another failure, the mandate for this occupation was extended — and now there's talk about turning that into a traditional peacekeeping mission. Only Haitians can come up with real solutions for their plight.
