He points out that 400 security mission troops are insufficient for the force to be “effective”
The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, has warned before the United Nations General Assembly that the conditions are not met to hold elections in Haiti and has criticized that the deployment of the security mission to combat gang violence in the Caribbean country has not been completed.
“We have reached this point with great sacrifices, but almost a year after the elections in Haiti, the conditions for this are not yet in place,” the Dominican president stressed at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
Abinader also explained that only 400 troops from the Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti, led by Kenya and supported by the UN, have been deployed, an insufficient number compared to a “minimum” of 1,000 for the force to “be effective.”
“Today, the resources required to achieve the full deployment of the force and achieve the objectives of pacification and support for the eventual holding of free, fair and transparent elections have not been deposited in the trust fund for Haiti,” he added before the Assembly.
The president also described it as “unacceptable” that “at this point, countries that have had an impact on the Haitian situation” or that have “committed to its solution have not fully fulfilled their promises.”
Despite this, the Dominican president has thanked Kenya for its efforts, “which has borne the majority of the troops supporting the National Police” of Haiti, as well as the United States, “which has borne the greatest financial and logistical burden.”
Among the thanks he has also included countries such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and El Salvador, which have sent troops, and organizations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) “for their efforts in favor of dialogue and agreement.”
Nevertheless, he has urged the countries to continue working for “stability and development” in the Caribbean country. “We cannot allow the efforts achieved so far to collapse, otherwise the collapse of Haiti will be imminent and its consequences will reach the entire region,” he said.
The Prime Minister of Haiti, Garry Conille, already warned in August that the deployment of international forces was being very slow and that armed gangs have practically total control of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
Haiti has been without a president since a group of armed men stormed his official residence and assassinated Jovenel Moise in early July 2021. Shortly afterwards, Ariel Henry rose to the post of prime minister amid criticism and after several years of instability. In March of this year, he resigned following the wave of violence that shook the Caribbean nation.
The Transitional Presidential Council, led by Edgard Leblanc, who was the highest representative of the Haitian Senate between 1995 and 2000, ended up appointing Conille on June 3 to carry out this task of pacification as head of government.
The Haitian transitional government announced a week ago the creation of a Provisional Electoral Council, a body in charge of organizing the holding of the first elections in the country in a decade, since the elections are scheduled for 2026 and the last ones were held in 2016.
