The Biden administration sent sorely needed reinforcements to the Haiti National Police on Tuesday, deploying a U.S. military aircraft to Port-au-Prince weeks after notifying the U.S. Congress it would be providing millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and ammunition to help officers take on ruthless gangs.
The first aircraft to land on the country’s main runway since an insurgency by armed groups forced the cancellation of all domestic and international flights into the capital, the military aircraft landed shortly before 11 a.m. Armed gangs are continuing to launch attacks on parts of the capital ahead of the swearing-in of a nine-member presidential council to lead a new political transition in the country.
U.S. officials have not yet said what exactly was aboard the flight. Close to 20 officers have been killed or injured and 22 police stations have been pillaged or burned since the coordinated gang attacks erupted on Feb. 29. Since then, Port-au-Prince has remained under siege.
Targeting key government infrastructures with automatic gunfire and looting, armed groups have destroyed and burned dozens of hospitals, schools, businesses and government buildings. They have also launched a series of simultaneous attacks in an attempt to take the international airport and the National Palace, which until now remain under the control of the Haiti National Police members of the small Armed Forces of Haiti.
On Monday, as the United Nations Security Council met in New York to discuss the situation in Haiti, two voice recordings attributed to gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier circulated on social media. The voice urged the burning down of houses in the Lower Delmas neighborhood of the capital, which is under the gang leader’s control.
As they met, Security Council members continued to urge for the swift deployment of a multinational security force, led by Kenya, to assist the Haiti National Police.
Recognizing that the Haiti National Police is the last line of defense. Robert Wood, the U.S. alternative representative for special political affairs to the U.N., commended the department and its specialized units. Woods said they have “conducted successful counter-gang operations,” and continue to improve coordination.
So far, neither the U.S., which supports the Kenya-led mission, nor Kenya have provided a timetable for the mission’s deployment. However, several sources have told the Miami Herald that a deployment of some police officers is imminent.
Of the 1,000 Kenyan officers who are supposed to serve as the backbone of the force, 400 have been vetted to make sure they have not committed human-rights violations — a requirement for deployment — while another 250 Jamaicans have also been vetted, a State Department spokesperson said.
The ongoing attacks in Haiti have led to the deaths or injuries of more than 2,500 Haitians since the beginning of the year, the deadliest three-months since the United Nations began tracking armed violence by gangs in 2021. The attacks have also exacerbated an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis. More than with 5 million Haitians are in need of assistance while some 360,000 Haitians have had to flee their homes.
Last month, in an attempt to help the Haitian police, President Joe Biden ordered Secretary of State Antony Blinken to notify Congress of the intent to draw down $10 million worth of weapons and ammunition from U.S. agencies to send to Haiti. The donation of firearms and bullet-proof vests to the Haiti National Police marks the first time the U.S., which had a policy of not arming the police, will provide the country with weapons. It is also the first time the U.S. will be assisting the Armed Forces of Haiti.
Earlier this month, Biden authorized the State Department to notify Congress of the intent to direct a draw down of up to $60 million to provide necessary support to partner countries, including Kenya, Jamaica, and The Bahamas, for their personnel to participate in the Multinational Security Support Mission to Haiti.
Until the force is deployed, Haiti will need to increasingly rely on the specialized units of the Haiti National Police that, while successfully taking on gangs in complex operations and blocking takeovers of the airport and the central bank, have also struggled to reverse takeovers when they do happen.
Addressing members of the Security Council on Wednesday, Maria Isabel Salvador, who heads the U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti, said that with the help of the “modest Armed Forces of Haiti” and her political office, the Haiti National Police “has deployed immense efforts to contain the spiral of violence in the country while being targeted by armed gangs.”
“Nevertheless, the severity of the current crisis underscores the gaps in capacity within the national structures and the urgent need for international assistance, namely through the timely deployment” of the forces from Kenya, she added.
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©2024 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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