The News
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed greater US support for Haiti as it fights to wrest control of its territory from powerful gangs.
During a visit to Port-au-Prince Thursday, Blinken announced a new humanitarian aid package for the island nation, where hundreds of thousands are facing hunger after gangs brought commerce to a standstill.
The US-backed deployment of Kenyan police officers has largely failed to make a significant impact against the gangs, which control around 80% of the capital. Now many in Haiti fear a promised further deployment of security forces will never materialize.
SIGNALS
Haiti trip a ‘gamble’ for Biden administration
Blinken’s trip is a gamble for the Biden administration, The Washington Post argued, as it brings attention to a burgeoning international crisis only two months before the US presidential election. But the US can’t afford to ignore Haiti’s plight, The New York Times wrote, because the “criminal anarchy” engulfing the country risks causing a flood of refugees into the US, as happened during the Haitian refugee crisis of the 1990s. Despite the promise of elections next year, the fragile political landscape — fraught by corruption allegations and a lack of public confidence — may thwart any meaningful political and security progress in the country, analysts say.
Idea of UN peacekeeping mission evokes ‘bad memories’ for Haitians
Haitians are wary of the possibility of a UN peacekeeping mission given their “bad memories” of the one from 2004 to 2017, The Washington Post wrote, where international forces were linked to incidents of sexual violence and a deadly cholera outbreak. The US-funded Kenya-led police mission in Haiti is already facing criticism for failing to quell violence, and Washington is caught between providing stability and eliciting another backlash. Despite ongoing international efforts to curb gang violence, experts say that without deeper political reforms, external interventions may prove futile. “For me, there’s really little chance of a security force providing lasting stability in Haiti absent significant political changes,” a research associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research told the Post.
Funding issues put future of Kenyan mission in doubt
The Kenyan police operation to counter Haiti’s armed gangs has so far been plagued by a shortage of troops and funds, Reuters reported. The US funds the majority of the mission, but Blinken warned Thursday that more international funds were crucial for the mission’s sustainability, prompting local news outlet Haiti Libre to argue that “it seems easier for the U.S. to release billions for Ukraine than a few hundred million for Haiti.” But even if the mission can successfully improve security in Haiti, it will “only be a starting point” in the country’s recovery, a foreign policy researcher wrote for Brookings. “The international community should not assume that it can heave a sigh of relief,” she argued.