The United Nations (UN) Security Council unanimously voted to extend the authorisation of the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to assist Haiti for one year.
The UN Security Council voted on a draft resolution on September 30. The authorisation extends to member states who are set to deploy troops to the MSS mission to Haiti to help re-establish security in the country and build conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections.
Secretary-General António Guterres endorsed the request, recommending that one or several member states, acting bilaterally at the invitation of and in cooperation with the Government of Haiti, could deploy, as a matter of urgency, a rapid action force to support the Humanitarian Needs and Priorities (HNP).
In July 2023, ten months after Haiti’s initial request, Kenya agreed to lead a multinational force to the country, pledging to deploy 1,000 police officers.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
DW
At least nine other countries, primarily from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, subsequently stated their intention to participate in the force.
Although the UN would not be administering the proposed mission, Kenya, Haiti, and other stakeholders sought Security Council authorisation for the deployment.
On October 2, 2023, the Council adopted the resolution that mandated the mission to provide operational support to the HNP.
The resolution authorised the mission for an initial period of 12 months, to be reviewed after nine months. It specified that the cost of the operation would be borne by voluntary contributions and support from individual countries and regional organizations.
Subsequent reports show that the MSS mission would comprise up to 2,500 officers, deployed in phases, at an annual cost of approximately $600 million (Ksh 77.4 billion).
The mission was initially scheduled to deploy in February, but that timeline was postponed repeatedly for several reasons, including a lack of funding, a judicial challenge in Kenya, and, most recently and a surge in gang violence in Haiti.
In June and July, Kenya deployed the mission’s first two contingents of approximately 400 police officers, with the remaining 600 officers that it pledged to deploy within the next two months.
On 12 September, the first Caribbean contingent arrived comprising 24 military and police officers from Jamaica and two military officers from Belize.
President William Ruto at the United Nations Summit in New York, USA on September 22, 2024.
PSC
