{"id":267894,"date":"2025-10-01T01:07:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/267894\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T01:07:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:07:11","slug":"un-authorizes-larger-force-to-fight-gangs-in-haiti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/267894\/","title":{"rendered":"UN authorizes larger force to fight gangs in Haiti"},"content":{"rendered":"

UNITED NATIONS (AP) \u2014 The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to authorize a much larger, 5,550-member international force with expanded powers to help stop escalating gang violence in Haiti<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and Panama,<\/a> will transform the current Kenya-led multinational force into a \u201cGang Suppression Force\u201d with the power to arrest suspected gang members, which the current force does not have.<\/p>\n

The vote was 12-0 with Russia, China and Pakistan abstaining. <\/p>\n

U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the resolution\u2019s adoption \u201coffers Haiti hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a hope that has been rapidly slipping away as terrorist gangs expanded their territory, raped, pillaged, murdered and terrorized the Haitian population \u2026 (and) jeopardized the very existence of the Haitian state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Mo\u00efse<\/a> in 2021. They now control 90% of the capital<\/a>, Port-au-Prince, and have expanded their activities, including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape, into the countryside<\/a>. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said the message from the Security Council is clear: \u201cThe era of impunity for those who seek to destabilize Haiti is over.\u201d <\/p>\n

Panama\u2019s U.N. Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba said the co-sponsors are convinced that \u201cthrough this force, it will be possible to re-establish the security that is needed for political reconstruction and the holding of elections,\u201d as well as reviving the economy and creating opportunities for the Haitian people.<\/p>\n

But China\u2019s U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong was highly critical of the resolution, which he said \u201crisks exacerbating Haiti\u2019s already complex and dire situation.\u201d <\/p>\n

He especially criticized the United States, which he said not only failed to provide promised funding to the Kenya-led force but also owes $800 million to the U.N. peacekeeping budget while demanding that other countries share the financial burden for the new Gang Suppression Force.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow abstained because the Security Council \u201cis once again being thrust into a dangerous and poorly thought out venture.\u201d Previous U.N. resolutions have failed \u201cto produce any sustainable results, and we have every reason to believe this new mission, under yet another grand title, will meet the same fate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The first Kenyans arrived in Haiti in June 2024, and the force was supposed to have 2,500 troops, but it has been plagued by a lack of funding, and its current strength is below 1,000.<\/p>\n

The seven-page resolution expresses appreciation to Kenya for leading the multinational force but reaffirms Secretary-General Antonio Guterres\u2019 finding in February that it hasn\u2019t been able to keep pace with the dramatic expansion of the gangs and needs to be scaled up. The mandate for the current force expires on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The resolution was adopted under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which means it can be enforced militarily. It authorizes U.N. member nations to transition to a Gang Suppression Force, in cooperation with Haiti\u2019s government, for an initial period of 12 months.<\/p>\n

The new force is authorized to conduct independently or with the Haitian police \u201cintelligence-led targeted, counter-gang operations to neutralize, isolate, and deter gangs that continue to threaten the civilian population, abuse human rights and undermine Haitian institutions.\u201d It is also authorized to provide security for critical infrastructure, including the airport and ports, schools and hospitals, along with the Haitian police and armed forces, and to support Haitian efforts \u201cto combat illicit trafficking and diversion of arms and related material.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resolution states that the force would consist of 5,500 uniformed personnel and 50 civilians who would be paid from voluntary contributions. Waltz, the U.S. envoy, urged countries to contribute personnel and money. The resolution asks Guterres to establish a U.N. office to provide logistical and operational support to the new force.<\/p>\n

Laurent Saint-Cyr, leader of Haiti\u2019s transitional presidential council<\/a>, cheered the vote on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis vote marks a decisive turning point in the fight against armed criminal groups that are causing grief for our families, paralyzing our economy and threatening the future of our nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2014-<\/p>\n

Danica Coto contributed to this report from San Juan, Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UNITED NATIONS (AP) \u2014 The U.N. Security Council voted Tuesday to authorize a much larger, 5,550-member international force…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":267895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[7779,36676,13214,1613,74,4219,57,8884,78108,2244,1612,136885,2936,139572,50,34163,1608,80,10409,1206,89512,128288,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-267894","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-africa","9":"tag-antonio-guterres","10":"tag-asia-pacific","11":"tag-central-america","12":"tag-china","13":"tag-crime","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-haiti","16":"tag-jovenel-moise","17":"tag-kenya","18":"tag-latin-america","19":"tag-laurent-saint-cyr","20":"tag-law-enforcement","21":"tag-mike-waltz","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-organized-crime","24":"tag-panama","25":"tag-politics","26":"tag-sexual-assault","27":"tag-united-nations","28":"tag-united-nations-security-council","29":"tag-vassily-nebenzia","30":"tag-world","31":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115296236992406686","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}