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The Undersecretary of State of the United States (USA) for the Americas, Brian Nichols, affirmed this Wednesday, October 26, that he “hope” that, at the beginning of next month, a resolution of the United Nations Security Council will be approved United Nations (UN) to send international troops to Haiti. But Haitians do not see the initiative with good eyes, since most of them do not keep good memories of foreign interference in the country.
Brian Nichols, head of the US Department of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, reported Wednesday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Canada on Thursday to address, among other issues, the crisis to all the escalations that Haiti suffers.
Before journalists, Nichols specified that the establishment and dispatch of a multinational force, requested by the Haitian government to deal with the crisis, will be discussed during Blinken’s visit.
The Caribbean nation faces the problem of armed gangs, which have taken over the country and aggravated the humanitarian situation in recent weeks, particularly after blocking access to fuel terminals.
Haiti is also facing a resurgence of cholera, which led the Executive to request the deployment of international armed forces, a request welcomed by the UN and the United States.
In a statement on Sunday, October 9, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, called “on the international community, including the members of the Security Council, to urgently consider the request of the Government of Haiti to deploy without delay a specialized international armed force”.
But on Tuesday some US media – citing various anonymous sources – reported that the initiative was about to fail because no foreign partner had come forward to send in the military.
“There has been no progress in recruiting volunteer partners,” a source quoted by the Miami Herald newspaper said. “No one is willing to compromise,” the source added.
Nichols responded Wednesday saying he “strongly disagrees that the resolution authorizing a multinational force is in jeopardy.” The official added that he expected the direction of the force to be established in the coming days as talks progress.
“I am confident that we will have something by early November, both a resolution and the direction of the force. So I think things are going according to plan,” he concluded.
Haitians do not want foreign intervention
But in Haiti, the idea of a possible intervention by foreign armed forces does not arouse enthusiasm. Following Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s decision to ask for help, thousands of people took to the streets to demand his resignation and denounce the United States, Canada and the UN as responsible for the country’s ills.
For many Haitians, a military intervention could have negative repercussions, especially since Haitians do not see the UN as a legitimate institution, given its successive failures in the country. The Haitian population does not forget that the previous cholera epidemic was brought to the island by UN peacekeepers.
In an interview with France 24 in French, Frédéric Thomas, a specialist in Haiti, considers that “the Haitian population contests both the basis of this request (for foreign intervention) and the fact that it is made by a government considered illegitimate, corrupt and totally discredited. “.
The academic adds that the population “rejects this government which, for clearly opportunistic reasons, intends to remain in power.”
From 1994 to today, a United Nations mission has been constantly on the island through the UN Integrated Office in Haiti. But for many, this mission has not contributed anything and, on the contrary, “has left scars”, according to Thomas.
The specialist lists the shortcomings of the mission and recalls that the UN “was not at all reactive after the 2010 earthquake”, and that “it also had a problematic police role when intervening during social demonstrations”.
In addition, UN peacekeepers have been accused of sexual assault. On this issue and on the introduction of cholera in Haiti, the UN has taken years to recognize its responsibility.
Thomas concludes that “all of this has created a form of anger in Haitian society, and all of these precedents make this international institution have no credibility to intervene (in the country), again, in the eyes of Haitians.”
With Reuters and local media
