WASHINGTON, CMC – The United States Friday said it expects several countries within the Eastern Caribbean to send translators to Haiti as part of a Kenya-led United Nations-backed multinational force as efforts continue to end the escalating violence between armed gangs and police in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara A. Feinstein, told a news conference that “there has been mentioned, for example, that in the Eastern Caribbean, there are certain countries that have the same or a very similar Creole to Haitian Creole, to the extent that they might be able to provide translators or interpreters is something that could also be of use.”
St. Lucia and Dominica are two countries within the 15-member CARICOM grouping, capable of communicating in the French Creole or Patois language widely spoken in Haiti.
Feinstein told a virtual news conference that deploying a multinational force to Haiti, with material support from the US and other countries, depended on an assessment that Kenya would conduct in another few weeks.
In a statement last weekend, Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Alfred Mutua, said his country’s commitment is to deploy 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police to restore normalcy and protect strategic installations.
Last year, Haiti’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ariel Henry, sent an urgent appeal to the UN asking for “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity” to stop gang warfare.
Last month, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the UN Security Council and significant potential contribution countries to act fast to create the conditions for deploying a multinational force to Haiti.
Guterres said that a UN expert’s estimate that Haiti needs up to 2,000 additional anti-gang police officers is no exaggeration.
Last month, CARICOM leaders at their summit in Trinidad and Tobago “expressed “grave concern over the deep humanitarian, security and governance crisis” in Haiti.
Feinstein said a United Nations Security Council resolution would be sought if Kenya agreed to lead the multinational force.
“We will be looking to the Kenyans to lead this effort, should they ultimately agree to lead a multinational force, and we will be pushing as swiftly as possible to support in any way we can,” she said.
Authorities are also expected to consider a report from the United Nations Security Council outlining options for security assistance that will influence the character and the shape of such a force.
Feinstein promised that Washington would do everything to ensure “swift passage” of the UN Security Council resolution and “all necessary steps in support of the lead nation to ensure that this activity takes place as quickly as possible in service of the Haitian people.”
The US official credited CARICOM for its role through consensus-building engagements with Haitian stakeholders by the former prime minister of St Lucia, Jamaica, and The Bahamas towards a pathway for elections.
“I do want to mention that CARICOM continues to play a vital role in enlarging political consensus and paving a roadmap to elections by convening Haitian stakeholders,” she said.
She also thanked The Bahamas’ commitment to providing troops as well as formal statements or public comments from, among others, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Chile, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, and the Organization of American States.
“I think that is evidence that there is strong support for an urgent solution to Haiti security crisis and offers of support to that end,” she said, adding that she expects the regional bloc to provide even more support.
“So I think CARICOM has already made quite a substantial contribution to an essential part of this crisis, which is the political situation on the ground, and we would hope to see continued support from a range of nations to include CARICOM,” she said.
Earlier this week, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told a news conference welcoming Kenya’s position that Washington would be working on a resolution “that will give the Kenyans what they require to establish their presence in Haiti” without specifying a timeline.
“This is not a traditional peacekeeping force or a traditional security situation. We have gangs that have overtaken the country, that are terrorizing civilians every single day,” the US diplomat said, adding, “It is a police action to stabilize the country so that the country can return to the path of democracy so that they can move forward with a political process, which will lead to a stable Government, which will be in able to deal with future situations.”
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