Call for UN intervention for Haiti but little interest in a country with limited resources – VP News – ‘no talk’

2023-07-08 18:11:02

The curious feature of showing mercy, kindness and participation only when it is useful is a hallmark of Western states that are so active for Ukraine.

An example of this is the call by the Honorable Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, for a powerful international force to counter the armed gangs in Haiti and restore security to this impoverished country. According to UN experts, Haiti would need up to 2,000 additional anti-gang police officers.

Haiti faces a significant gang problem that has a devastating impact on the country’s security and stability. These gangs, often armed and organized, operate in different regions of Haiti, including densely populated urban neighborhoods.

The criminal activities of the gangs include extortion, robbery, murder and drug trafficking. The Haitian population constantly lives with the threat of violence perpetrated by these gangs, which contribute to the social and economic instability of the country.

Criminal gangs have a large influence on the local economy, for example through the extortion of money from businesses or through the control of illegal activities such as drug trafficking. This creates a climate of fear and insecurity for local entrepreneurs and limits the economic development of Haiti.

HAITI – Zachary Vessels – Photos Pexel free domain

Furthermore, the presence of criminal gangs prevents government institutions, including the police, from guaranteeing the safety of citizens and enforcing the law. Limited resources and corruption within law enforcement hamper efforts to effectively tackle criminal gangs.

For these problems, the government of Haiti has requested the sending of an international force to the country since last October. In response, Guterres has diligently sought a country willing to lead this mission, emphasizing that the United Nations is not calling for an armed or political mission. In addition, he urged UN Security Council members and potential member states to act quickly and deploy a multinational force to help Haitian police defeat and eliminate criminal gangs.

However, the United States and Canada, which have expressed their deep concern over the crisis in Haiti, have flatly refused to participate in the deployment of security forces. Despite this, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in Georgetown, Guyana, that the United States was “participating in discussions trying to identify a country willing to lead the operation”.

Really, why should they care about Haiti? The country offers only mediocre quality coffee and third-rate legumes (moreover grown with obsolete systems), of which the United States already has an abundance. Regional security appears to be a concern only for neighboring Jamaica and the Bahamas, which have opted to participate in the deployment of police forces. Similarly, there are also countries like Kenya and Rwanda in Africa that have volunteered for this mission. It appears that interest in participating is limited to “hip” situations involving people of African descent.