The UN Security Council approved the deployment of an international force to stem the escalating violence in Haiti

The UN Security Council gave its approval on Monday A resolution authorizing the deployment of an international force in Haiti The Caribbean nation could hold long-delayed presidential elections for a year to help curb rising gang violence and restore security.

Resolution, 13 votes in favor and two abstentions (China and Russia). Also prohibits Light weaponsThis only applies to gang leaders who have been sanctioned so far.

Council sources told the company EFE An immediate deployment is not expected, but it will be “several months” before agents begin patrolling the streets of Haiti.

The US-drafted resolution accepts Kenya’s proposal to lead an international security force. It clarifies that it is a force outside the United Nations and is funded through voluntary contributions.

The resolution authorizes the force for one year and will be evaluated after nine months.

The force will be authorized to provide operational support to the Haitian National Police, A country of over 11 million people with 10,000 active agents is underfunded and under-resourced.

According to the resolution, the force will help build local police capacity by “planning and conducting joint security support operations while working to counter gang violence and improve security conditions in Haiti.”

The force will also help protect “critical infrastructure sites and transport locations such as airports, ports and key junctions”. Powerful gangs have taken control of key highways from Haiti’s capital to the country’s north and south, disrupting the flow of food and other goods.

The Security Council recognizes the power of ratification “Take emergency temporary measures on an exceptional basis” Help police to prevent casualties and maintain public safety.

The resolution condemns “escalating violence, criminality and human rights violations and abuses that undermine the peace, stability and security of Haiti and the region”.including kidnappings, sexual and gender-based violence, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, murders, extrajudicial executions and arms trafficking.

This is the first time a force has been deployed to Haiti Since the United Nations authorized a stabilization mission in June 2004, it has been marred by a sex abuse scandal and an outbreak of cholera. That work was completed in October 2017.

Concerns also surround the proposed Kenya-led mission, with critics pointing out that the East African nation’s police have long been accused of torture, deadly force and other abuses.

The resolution urges all employees to take necessary steps to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as to conduct background checks on all employees. It also insisted that an immediate inquiry be conducted into the allegations of malpractice.

The resolution further warns that project participants must follow waste water management measures and other environmental controls to prevent the introduction and spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera.

Although the Kenyan government previously offered to send 1,000 police officers, the size of the authorized force is currently unknown. Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda have also pledged to send personnel.

Last month, the administration of the US president Joe Biden Logistics and $100 million were pledged to support the Kenya-led force.

The resolution notes that the Security Council intends to impose additional sanctions on those responsible for the violence in Haiti. The UN has already imposed sanctions on Jimmy Ceresier, known as “Barbecue”., who heads Haiti’s largest gang alliance. Chérizier, a former police officer, recently warned that he would fight any armed forces suspected of abuse.

The plan comes nearly a year after Haiti’s prime minister and other top government officials called for the immediate deployment of a foreign force as the government struggles to combat violent gangs that control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince. .

From January 1 to August 15, more than 2,400 people were killed, more than 950 kidnapped and 902 injured in Haiti, according to the latest UN report. The violence has displaced more than 200,000 people, many of whom have been forced into makeshift shelters after gangs ransacked their communities.

(With information from EFE and AP)