International aid aims to ensure the free movement of water, fuel, food and medical supplies
The general secretary of the UN, Antonio Guterresproposed this Sunday the shipment to Haiti of a “rapid action force” made up of military personnel from one or more countries to help the government regain control of Port-au-Prince from the armed gangs who currently dominate parts of the capital and unlock the supply of fuel and other essentials.
Guterres suggests that the operation not be carried out under the umbrella of the United Nations, but rather is led by a Member State that would execute it alone or with the support of other nationsaccording to a letter sent to the Security Council and obtained by EFE.
“The force, in particular, would support the Haitian National Police mainly in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince to ensure the free movement of water, fuel, food, and medical supplies from the main ports and airports to communities and health facilities”, explains the Portuguese.
To this end, Guterres proposes that these foreign troops support the Haitian police in their efforts to “eliminate the threat posed by armed gangs and provide immediate protection to key infrastructures and services”.
The idea responds to a request made this week by the Government of Haiti, which has requested military assistance to deal with the serious situation in the countrywhere armed groups have become strong in areas of Port-au-Prince and have blocked the main oil terminal.
Guterres says in the letter that the Security Council could “welcome” the commissioning of this force and that the UN Secretary General could deploy “additional capabilities” to support a ceasefire or humanitarian arrangements and ensure coordination of these tasks with international troops.
Under his proposal, the rapid action force would be phased out as the National Police regain control of the infrastructure key and start restoring security.
In the medium term, Guterres proposes two options: that a group of countries establish a working group to advise and train Haitian police officers or that they create a “special force” with agents from abroad to combat armed gangs.
In both cases, the head of the UN proposes that action be taken at the invitation of the Government of Haiti and bilaterally, since the country’s authorities have indicated that they prefer that a new force not be deployed of United Nations peace.
The UN already had blue helmets in Haiti between 2004 and 2017a presence that was replaced by a police operation that lasted two years and then by a political and advisory mission to the institutions, present today.
The Security Council had already asked Guterres months ago to present it with options to strengthen support to Haiti in security mattersbut the situation in the country has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks, in which an outbreak of cholera has also been detected, which it is feared could spread very quickly given the current crisis.
In parallel, the countries of the highest decision-making body of the UN are considering measures to respond to violenceincluding possible sanctions on the leaders of armed gangs and the imposition of an embargo that prohibits the sale of weapons to these groups.