A new, more effective international security rescue plan for Haiti, aimed at combating violent gangs and paving the way for peace and stability in the Caribbean nation, is set to be proposed to the UN Security Council shortly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told CARICOM leaders.
He announced plans to present a proposal for a major security force in Haiti to the UN Security Council during his address at the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government on Wednesday evening.
Guterres disclosed: “It is my intention to present to the Security Council, a proposal that is very similar to the one that we have presented for Somalia, in which the UN assumes the responsibility of the structural and logistical expenditures that are necessary to put the force in place, and the salaries of the force are paid through the Trust Fund that already exists.
“And the Security Council will accept this proposal…we will have the conditions to finally have an effective force to defeat the gangs in Haiti and create the conditions for democracy to strive.”
Guterres identified urgent assistance for Haiti as a key area in which the region and the global community must strive to achieve social, political and economic progress.
“First, unity and peace and security…particularly to address the appalling situation in Haiti, where gangs are inflicting intolerable suffering on the desperate and frightened people. CARICOM and Eminent Persons Group have provided invaluable support,” he said.
But the UN head advised that any political solution for Haiti must come from within that French-speaking independent CARICOM member state.
“We must keep working for a political process owned and led by the Haitians that restores democratic institutions through elections. And I will soon report to the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Haiti, including proposals on the role the UN can play to support stability and security and address the root causes of the crisis,” Guterres suggested.
In the latest developments in Haiti, authorities have issued more than a dozen arrest warrants against suspects accused of backing gang members who have been attacking a peaceful community near the capital for the past three weeks.
Dozens of people have been killed in Kenscoff this month, including three police officers and one soldier, police spokesman Lionel Lazarre said Tuesday at a press conference.
Among those accused of plotting against the government and backing the gangs are former Senator Nenel Cassy and former Kenscoff legislator Alfredo Antoine, Lazarre said.
Among the victims of the attacks was a two-month-old baby, according to the Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights group that called for the creation of a special international criminal tribunal to try all those accused of killing thousands of people, including children across Haiti in recent years.
At the summit, the UN secretary-general urged the leaders to continue their work in advocacy to tackle the weapons and drug trafficking that is fuelling violence across the region, including supervision.
“But let’s be clear,” Guterres cautioned, “to fight drug trafficking or to fight weapons trafficking, we also need to address the countries of origin and the countries of destination. Without their cooperation, we will never be able to win this battle, and the people of the Caribbean are paying a heavy price for the lack of cooperation that unfortunately we still face.”
The post CARICOM Summit: UN chief proposes fresh anti-gang Haiti security force appeared first on Barbados Today.
