As the conditions in Port-au-Prince worsened due to gang attacks, the United States Secretary, Antony Blinken, promised that the United States would help the Kenyan-led multinational security mission to Haiti with a donation of $300 million. The date on which the mission is set to leave has not been decided yet. According to the Interior Minister of Kenya, Kithure Kindiki, the mission is in its “pre-deployment” stage.
In his concluding remarks at the meeting of the Caribbean States (CARICOM), which was held in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, Blinken said, “I’m announcing today that the United States Department of Defense is doubling its approved support for the mission from $100 million to $200 million. And that brings the total US support to $300 million for this effort.”
The threat assessment done by the US found that the “gangs will be more likely to violently resist a foreign national force deployment to Haiti because they perceive it to be a shared threat to their control and operations.” This assessment was conducted to find any challenges that the multinational security support mission has to face in society.
The Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, has seen a number of gang attacks in the past few weeks. Due to these conditions, officials from the USA have demanded an increase in force to help regain the stability of the region.
Jimmy Cherizier, who is known to be one of the most famous gang leaders, called these attacks an effort to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Cherizier claims that if PM Henry, who is considered to be the unpopular leader of Haiti, doesn’t resign, there will be “a civil war that will end in genocide.”
In a bit to attend the CARICOM meeting for finding solutions to the political crisis that has been created in Haiti for quite some time, Blinken managed to reach Kingston. There have been discussions on the establishment of a transitional council to ensure the conduct of elections in Haiti.
While talking to the media, Blinken said, “We’re here in Kingston today to listen, to listen to your ideas, but also to provide our concrete support for the way forward and, in particular, the joint proposal that was developed by CARICOM and all the Haitian stakeholders to expedite a political transition.”
Blinken also said that “the plan to create a broad-based, inclusive, independent presidential college” to “take concrete steps to meet the immediate needs of the Haitian people” has gotten support from the USA. It will ensure the “swift deployment” of the security mission, which will “create the security conditions that are necessary to hold free and fair elections, to allow humanitarian assistance to get the people who need it, and to help put Haiti back on a path to economic opportunity and growth.”
