Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli
The last 2nd October, the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution, that established the creation of an international mission, whose aim is to reestablish the security in Haiti for one year. This initiative has been launched in order to deal with the increasing violence problems caused by the criminal gangs, that have taken control in the country, particularly in the capital Port-au-Prince. The management of this mission will be led by Kenya, and will involve more than ten countries, among which Caribbean nations like Jamaica, Barbados and Barbuda. The decision of promoting this resolution has been taken on explicit request by the Haitian government, that asked for international assistance to stabilize the situation in the country. The United Nations Security Council’s resolution has obtained the favorable vote of thirteen members, with the abstinence of China and Russia.
It was the Haitian government itself that made a request to the UN to intervene due to the severe instability that is troubling the country. Between October 2023 and June 2023, around 3000 people were victims of violence caused by the criminal gangs, that took the power of big portions of the Haitian areas, included around 80% of the capital. These gangs have strengthened their domain on the country through murders, kidnapping, and extortion. This situation emerged after the murder of the president Jovanel Moise in 2021, that created a power vacuum, making the conduction of organized elections impossible. As a consequence, the country has been taken as hostage by the criminal gangs, that often fight with each other and that have superior weapons and are more numerous than the local police. According to the United Nations, lots of residential areas have been abandoned by their inhabitants due to the danger represented by the murders, kidnappings, and extortions made to obtain ransoms.
Kenya will send a contingent of 1000 soldiers to Haiti. The forces that will be used in the country won’t play the traditional role of the United Nations troops, that work in the mission of peace’s maintenance. On the contrary, their main goal will be to protect the critical infrastructures, like airports, harbors, schools, hospitals and streets. Moreover, they will collaborate with the Haitian police to conduct aimed operations against the criminal activities and reestablish the necessary conditions for the elections, which don’t take place since 2016.
However, there are some worries within the public opinion regarding Kenya’s security forces, that have been criticized due to a violation of human rights, corruption and excessive use of force. Moreover, some observers have raised doubts about the abilities of the Kenyan forces to rapidly adapt to a new atmosphere, especially considering the linguistic limits. The public opinion is divided regarding this topic: on one hand, there is the acknowledge of an urgent necessity of external assistance, but on the other hand it recalls the failure of the previous missions.
The last mission, that took place from 2004 to 2017 after the coup d’etat that have destabilized the ex-president Aristide, was the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (also know as MINUSTAH, an acronym of the French mission’s name). This mission had the aim of contributing to the stabilization of the democracy in Haiti. However, its permanence in the country was marked by scandals, among which episodes of sexual violence and a cholera’s epidemic, that caused almost 10.000 victims. Also the United States heavy humanitarian intervention after the earthquake in 2010 raised doubts about the dependence of the aids and presumed irregularities by some humanitarian operators and peace forces. Not only wasn’t the mission able to guarantee stability to the Haitian fragile democratic system, but it was also accused of violation of human rights and sexual abuses by the military staff.
According to the Kenyan president William Ruto, taking part into this mission is an opportunity to improve his charisma at an international level, in order to project his image abroad and to position at the great world powers level. Even though the United States offered economic assistance and logistic support, the country won’t take on the order of the international mission and won’t send troops on the field. Historically, the political involvement of the United States in Haite was significative, but sometimes it has had negative consequences. It has been observed military interferences, sexual abuses by the peacekeepers and the given aids weren’t neither enough nor adequate to help the country. Moreover, Haiti doesn’t represent a geopolitical priority to Biden's administration.
The supporters of the intervention underline that Haiti’s crisis can not be neglected. This country, with a population of 11 million people, has less than 12.800 police officers and deals with a growing ungovernability due to the 200 armed gangs that fight against each other. Particularly, the systematic use of the sexual violence against women, girls and boys worries. The General Secretary of the United Nations described the situation as “a daydreaming nightmare”. However, there is an important challenge linked to the crisis: the lack of adequate financings to deal with it. Unicef has revealed that more than 80% of the total budget asked for the prevention and the fight against violence is now lacking.
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L'Autore
Valentina Ruaro
Sono laureata in Scienze Internazionali e Diplomatiche presso l'Università di Bologna e attualmente sto frequentando il corso di laurea magistrale in Studi sulla Sicurezza, l'Intelligence e la gli studi strategici, con un percorso accademico che include prestigiose istituzioni come l'Università di Glasgow, l'Università di Trento e l'Università Karlova di Praga.
Nel campo accademico, collaboro come autrice per Mondo Internazionale, affrontando temi fondamentali sul ruolo delle organizzazioni internazionali, con particolare attenzione all’Unione Europea e alla NATO. Inoltre, per coinvolgere un pubblico più ampio, produco anche contenuti su Instagram per MI Post. Attualmente, sto svolgendo un tirocinio presso il NATO Defense College a Roma, dove approfondisco le mie competenze nell'ambito dell'educazione, della sicurezza e della difesa.
Ho maturato esperienza nel settore della ricerca lavorando per l'European Army Interoperability Centre di Bruxelles, concentrandomi sull'interoperabilità degli stati membri e sul ruolo esterno dell’UE.
I miei interessi ruotano attorno alla geopolitica, alla CSDP dell'UE, alla difesa NATO, con un focus geografico sulla regione Euro-Atlantica e il Medio Oriente, in particolare la Siria.
Motivata dall'empatia e da una determinazione incessante per il cambiamento, sono pronta a continuare a plasmare conversazioni e azioni nel campo della sicurezza internazionale e della difesa.
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I hold a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs from the University of Bologna, and I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies. My academic journey includes esteemed institutions such as the University of Glasgow, the University of Trento, and Charles University in Prague.
Within the academic realm, I collaborate as an author for Mondo Internazionale, addressing pivotal topics concerning the roles of international organisations, particularly focusing on the European Union and NATO. Additionally, I engage a broader audience by creating content on Instagram for MI Post. I am currently interning at the NATO Defense College in Rome, further honing my skills in the education, security, and defence sectors.
I have gained research experience while working at the European Army Interoperability Centre in Brussels, where I focused on member states' interoperability and the EU's external role.
My interests revolve around geopolitics, EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), and NATO defence, with a geographical focus on the Euro-Atlantic region and the Middle East, specifically Syria.
Driven by empathy and an unwavering determination for positive change, I am prepared to continue shaping discussions and actions in the field of international security and defence.
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