UNITED NATIONS, CMCC—United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has congratulated Haiti on establishing governance arrangements to oversee the political transition in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
Guterres met on Sunday with Leslie Voltaire, member of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) whose mandate is to oversee the country’s return to democratic rule as well as ensure peace and stability following the July 7, 2021, assassination of then President Jovenel Moise.
Antonio Guterres
A brief statement following the meeting said that the Secretary-General and the Transitional Presidential Council member discussed the need to accelerate progress on security and the political tracks to ensure an elected government is in place by February 2026, as agreed by Haitian stakeholders.
“They also agreed to work together to encourage greater international support for addressing gang violence and the humanitarian situation,” the statement said.
The meeting was held as Kenya pledged to send 600 additional police officers to Haiti to help fight gangs that control much of the capital, Port au Prince, and nearby areas.
Kenyan President William Ruto, who visited the country, also said he wants to transform the current Kenyan-led security mission into a full-scale United Nations peacekeeping operation.
Violence in Haiti remains widespread, and last weekend, the UN human rights expert, William O’Neill, warned that gangs are targeting new areas and that the human rights situation in the country is bleak.
“The Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), which the UN Security Council authorized in October 2023, has deployed less than a quarter of its planned contingent,” O’Neil said last Friday.
The UN said that between April and the end of June, at least 1,379 people were reported killed or injured in Haiti, and another 428 were kidnapped. An estimated 700,000 people have been left homeless as gang violence persists.
The UN Security Council will meet later this month to decide whether to extend Kenya’s current mandate for another 12 months, paving the way for a complete UN mission in 2025.
Addressing Kenyan police officers at their base in the Haitian capital, President Ruto praised the force’s successes in recent months.
“There are many people who thought Haiti was an impossible mission, but today they have changed their minds because of the progress you have made,” he said
He said that 400 Kenyan officers on the ground went out on patrol and “worked hand in hand with Haitian troops to protect the people and restore security.
“Our next batch, another 600, is undergoing redeployment training. We will be ready for the mission in a few weeks and look forward to the necessary support to enable their deployment,” he added.
Despite an international embargo, weapons and ammunition were still being smuggled into the country, allowing the gangs to expand their power into new areas, he said.
“It is crucial to suppress the gangs by giving the MSS mission the means to be effective in supporting the operations of the Haitian National Police, as well as to implement the other measures provided for by the United Nations Security Council, including the sanctions regime and the targeted arms embargo,” O’Neil said.
Ahead of Tuesday’s opening of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Guterres has been meeting with CARICOM leaders, including St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
The UN said Guterres and Drew “discussed efforts to advance sustainable development and climate action, as well as the importance of implementing the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.”
In his meeting with Santokhi, Guterres said he “discussed climate action, reform of the international financial architecture and other issues of importance to Small Island Developing States and low-lying States.
“The President informed the Secretary-General about macro-economic developments in Suriname,” said the UN in a brief statement.
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