#时事热点头条说#
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The United Nations Security Council voted Monday to send a Kenyan-led multinational armed force to Haiti to help fight violent gangs, the first time in nearly 20 years to send troops to the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
The resolution, drafted by the United States and Ecuador, was adopted by 13 votes in favour, with two abstentions from China and the Russian Federation.
The resolution authorized the deployment of the force for one year, with a review after nine months. UN. The mission will be funded by voluntary contributions, with the United States pledging up to $200 million.
The elections came almost a year after the Prime Minister of Haiti called for the immediate deployment of armed forces. Haiti's armed forces are expected to quell the surge in gang violence and restore law and order so that Haiti can hold long-delayed elections. Haiti's National Police has struggled in its fight against criminal gangs, with only about 10,000 active police officers in a country of more than 11 million people.
Haitian Foreign Minister Jean-Victor Ghems said: "This is not just a simple vote, it is actually solidarity with the troubled population." "It's a silver lining for people who have suffered for too long."
A deployment date has not been set, though U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said a security mission could be deployed to Haiti "within a few months."
Kenyan Foreign Minister Mutua said last week that the force could be deployed within two to three months, or in early January. He also noted that key officials were learning French.
Hours after the vote ended, Haitian Prime Minister Henry thanked the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General and Kenya and other countries that agreed to join the troops, saying: "The bell of liberation has rung. ...。 We can't wait any longer!"
It is unclear how large the force is. The Kenyan government has previously proposed sending 1,000 police officers. In addition, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda have pledged their personnel.
The ambassador of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said that he has no objections to the resolution in principle, but that sending armed forces even at the request of a country "is an extreme measure that must be carefully considered."
He said repeated requests for details, including the use of force and when it would be withdrawn, "went unanswered" and criticized what he said was a hasty decision. "Authorize the reuse of force in Haiti ... is short-sighted", without providing the details requested by the Russian Federation.
Zhang Jun, China's ambassador to the United Nations, said he wanted the country leading the mission to consult in-depth with Haitian officials on deployment and explained his reasons for opposing the resolution.
"Without a legitimate, effective and accountable government, it is difficult for any external support to have any lasting impact," he said. He also said there was an urgent need to reach consensus on the transition and develop a "workable and credible" timetable. "Regrettably, the resolution just adopted does not send the strongest signal in this regard."
Gemsamès said he was grateful for the approval of the resolution because foreign armed forces are essential, but noted that it was "not enough."
"To solve the problem of extreme poverty, socio-economic development must be taken into account," he said. He added that it is the root of many of Haiti's problems and creates fertile ground for gangs to recruit young people.
About 60 per cent of Haiti's more than 11 million people earn less than $2 a day, and poverty has increased in recent years as inflation has risen.
The deployment of armed forces is expected to restore peace and security in Haiti in order to hold the long-awaited general elections. Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, Prime Minister Ariel Henry has repeatedly promised to hold general elections.
In January of this year, Haiti lost its last democratically elected body, as the terms of the remaining 10 senators expired and there was not a single member of the Haitian Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Henry has been ruling the country with the support of the international community.
The President of the UN Security Council, Brazil's Sanjaio Frampala, noted that if Haiti does not reach a political solution based on free, transparent and fair elections, "there will be no ... Assistance will guarantee lasting success. ”
The international community's intervention in Haiti has a complicated history. The United Nations-approved MINUSTAH began in June 2004 but has been marred by a sexual abuse scandal and the introduction of cholera, which has killed nearly 10,000 people. The mission ended in October 2017.
The resolution adopted Monday warns of the need for mission leaders to take steps to prevent abuse and sexual exploitation, as well as wastewater management and other environmental controls to prevent waterborne diseases such as cholera.
But concerns remain.
Critics of the Kenyan-led mission point to police in the East African country who have long been accused of torture, lethal force and other abuses. Senior Kenyan officials visited Haiti in August as part of a reconnaissance mission while the United States was drafting the draft resolution.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters that the resolution contained strong accountability and review language and that she was confident Kenya would be able to carry out its mission.
"I can assure you that the United States will be very actively engaged in these issues," she said. We have learned from past mistakes. ”
Nearly a year ago, the Prime Minister of Haiti and 18 senior Government officials called for the immediate deployment of a foreign armed force. The Haitian Government is currently trying to rein in criminal gangs amid a surge in killings, rapes and kidnappings.
From January 1 to August 15, more than 2,400 people died, more than 950 were kidnapped and 902 injured in Haiti, according to the latest UN statistics. More than 200,000 people have lost their homes as rival gangs plunder communities and compete for more territory.
Nicolas Jean-Pierre, 32, one of the homeless who had to flee his home with his partner and two children, now lives with others like him in a crowded school that serves as a temporary shelter. He has temporarily resettled his family in the southern coastal city of Lakai to keep them safe. Jean-Pierre said he wants foreign armed forces to be stationed in his community "so I can live my life again." ”
"The sooner they come, the better," Jean-Pierre said. He used to be a mechanic and is now looking for a job.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan thanked Kenya and other countries that had pledged to join the rescue effort. He said the rescue operation would bring much-needed help to the Haitian people.
"We have taken an important step today, but our support for the Haitian people is not done," he said.