Port-U-Prince, Haiti (AP). On Wednesday, radios were unpleasant knowledge that the UN Security Council approved the creation of the so -called gang gang forces to help the restless Caribbean country.
The force would change the smaller Jen-Astaba mission, led by Kenya police, which remains inadequate and under-funded, and whose mandate may end on October 2.
“I hope these people will be serious this time,” said Darlene Jean-Jacques, who lives with his 10-year-old son in a crowded and dirty shelter after the gangs raised their neighborhood and killed their partner. “To support the inhabitants of Haiti, it would be wonderful for people to bring back their lives.”
Since 2021 President Joven Moïse was killed, gangs grew in power. They now control 90% of the capital, Port-Au-Prince, and expanded their activities, including robbery, kidnapping, sexual attacks and rape to the village. Haiti had no president since the murder.
However, the Haitians and experts remain cautious about another international force approved on Tuesday.
A security gap
About the time of the new force deployment with 5,550 employees, 12 months’ powers and the power to detain suspected gang members, which is little known.
“There are some answers and still a lot of uncertainty,” said Diego da Rin, an analyst at the International Crisis Group.
The US government said it was convinced that troops would be enough to send to Haiti between the African and the Western hemisphere, but “some observers doubt if it would be so easy,” said Da Rin.
The UN Support Service would guarantee money for the mission, but the salaries of the staff are based on voluntary fees and there was no meaningful negotiation for what would be ready to allocate these funds, he said.
Another big concern is how the current mission will pass to the gang-sloping force.
In the ongoing debate, it is estimated that the new forces may be located and operate within a year, but there is not enough money at the moment to maintain a service contract that provides a current mission with food, accommodation and other services exceeding this year, Da Rin said.
He noted that this security vacuum could be problematic.
“The International Community has collapsed”
Like many other Haitian residents, Mario Jean-Baptiste lives in a crowded shelter with her three young children, as the gangs destroyed their Solino neighborhood last year.
“It’s good that a new force is coming, but I hope they are not what the jokers are here,” he said of the current mission in Haiti. “We need people who will definitely go after these guys to one day we can come home.”
The current mission began more than a year ago, but it still has less than 1000 employees, much less than the 2,500 and the trustee for about $ 112 million. USD – about 14% of approximately $ 800 million.
“The international community failed Haiti with (that mission),” Da Rin said. “He had no opportunity to show whether he was effective or not.”
However, he said Kenya’s forces helped slow down the progress of gangs controlling about 90% Port-Au-Prince and seized many communities in Haiti’s central region.
“They call themselves revolutionaries,” said Jean-Baptiste about the gangs. “They just destroyed my life.”
The gang in his neighborhood also burned a small bus he rented as a taxi, leaving it without any income.
“I can’t send my children to school,” he said. “I quickly do not foresee money at any time so that they can gain education.”
“Decisive” months ahead
Gang violence has left a record in recent years for more than 1.3 million people homeless throughout Haiti, and hunger and poverty are only deepening.
Millions of Haiti residents were disappointed that their situation had not improved, despite its promises of new international force.
“They’re not going to do anything here!” The woman exclaimed, who only identified herself as an Ester before going to an emergency shelter.
But Haitian and US officials continue to expect.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US government would cooperate with others to ensure “rapid deployment of the gang catch forces”.
The new forces will “solve the direct challenges of Haiti’s security and help the basis for long-term stability,” he said.
The Romain Le Court, the head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative against International Organized Crime, said: “Acceptance of a resolution sends a report to criminal groups and their potential sponsors. The coming months will be decisive for the future of the country.”
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Country from San Juan, Puerto Rico.