The Secretary General of the United Nations is proposing that at least one country send a “rapid reaction force” to Haiti. This force would have the mission to help the Haitian national police to fight armed gangs, according to Reuters citing a letter to the UN Security Council.
For Antonio Guterres, it is not necessary that this force is deployed by the United Nations, but he believes it is important that it is validated by the 15 member countries of the Security Council, Reuters reported.
The U.N. secretary-general believes that a rapid-action force “would in particular support the HNP (Haitian National Police), primarily in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, to secure the free flow of water, fuel, food and medical supplies from major ports and airports to communities and health-care facilities,” adding that: “To this end, the force would support HNP efforts to eliminate the threat posed by armed gangs and ensure the immediate protection of essential infrastructure and services,” according to Reuters.
In this letter, Mr. Guterres also said he wanted the rapid reaction force to be led by a single country. The force should be phased out “once the HNP has regained control of the critical infrastructure targeted by the gangs and has begun to restore overall security and freedom of movement.
Mr. Guterres sent the letter less than a week after the Haitian government issued an order calling for military intervention in Haiti.
Several countries, including the United States, say they are considering the request from the Haitian government, which had reassured the UN General Assembly last month that the security situation in Haiti “is generally under control.
