The U.S. State Department continues its search for a country to lead a multinational force in Haiti. This was stated by the spokesperson of the U.S. Department of State, Matthew Miller, during a press conference on Thursday.
“I will say that we continue to work with partners to identify a leading country for a multinational force led by the police. There is urgency, as the Secretary of State mentioned. I don’t have any updates on this today, but I hope to have some in the near future,” said the State Department spokesperson.
Matthew Miller made these statements in response to a journalist’s question about the fact that the United Nations has still not been able to find a consensus on the deployment of a foreign force in Haiti.
The journalist also mentioned that only 16% of the funds have been collected for the humanitarian program in Haiti.
“So, Haitians are not receiving food; they are facing aid cutbacks. They have no security. The Security Council has met and failed to agree on sending an international force. So, what more are you willing to do for Haiti to establish this force, which the Secretary of State declared was urgently needed?” questioned one of the participants.
In the absence of finding a consensus on the deployment of a foreign force in Haiti, the members of the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on July 15th, extending the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
Condemning with the utmost firmness the escalation of violence, criminal activities, and human rights violations in Haiti, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2692 (2023) this morning (Friday, July 14th), deciding to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) until July 15th, 2024, as defined in its Resolution 2476 (2019), with the understanding that the Office will be headed by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General,” as stated on the United Nations website.
In a report published several months ago, the United Nations had sounded the alarm about the deteriorating security situation in Haiti.
During the first quarter of 2023, Haiti recorded more violent deaths than all the countries in conflict in the world, including Ukraine, engaged in a war with Russia for over a year, as noted by the global organization. These alarming statistics were not enough to prompt the United Nations Security Council to find a consensus on the Haiti issue.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has been in office for over two years, shows no willingness or capability to ensure even a minimum level of security in Haiti.