U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Haiti on Thursday to meet with senior officials in an effort to “discuss next steps in Haiti’s democratic transition,” agency spokesman Matthew Miller announced Wednesday.
Blinken, he added, will focus on “speaking directly with political leaders in Haiti” about the progress they have made toward a democratic transition, and what further steps are needed to get to an election.
Haiti has been without a president since former President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021.
Washington is seeking to solidify its U.N.-backed security mission in the Caribbean country that has been ravaged by gang violence.
Gang wars have displaced more than 578,000 Haitians, while nearly 5 million – almost half of the population of 11.7 million – face acute hunger, with 1.6 million of those people at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations.
Miller added that “we have always envisioned” that the initial deployment of Kenyan troops “would be done step by step,” referring to the time it has taken to activate them in the country.
So far, only 400 Kenyan police officers designated to lead a U.N.-sanctioned mission have been deployed to Haiti, while countries have dragged their feet on pledges of funds, personnel and armored vehicles.
The US has pledged $309 million to support the multinational security support mission, which includes law enforcement equipment.
“A very significant portion of those tens of millions of dollars have already been deployed, have arrived in Haiti, and more will continue to be deployed over the course of the coming weeks and months,” Miller said.
During his stay in the Dominican Republic on Friday, Blinken will meet with President Luis Abinader in Santo Domingo to discuss “collaboration to promote inclusive economic growth, defend human rights, and promote good governance, security, and climate resilience in the region.”
[Con información de Reuters]
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