Officials within both the U.S. and Mexico have expressed to the United Nations that they are ready and willing to step in to assist with the massively dire humanitarian crisis afflicting Haiti due to civil unrest being pushed further due to widespread famine, gang violence, and an outbreak of cholera.
Representatives from the United States and Mexico put forth a pair of resolutions as part of a special session of the U.N. Security Council which would put in place a set of financial sanctions against criminal actors and officially allow “a limited carefully-scoped non-UN mission led by a partner country with the deep, necessary experience.”
As the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Lina Thomas-Greenfield stated during the Monday morning Security Council Meeting that the proposed resolution would “improve the security situation on the ground so that the delivery of desperately needed aid could reach those in need and address the ongoing cholera crisis.”
The economy of the country has rapidly deteriorated due to gangs blocking a major fuel terminal this past month, which has caused the forced closures of multiple businesses and even hospitals, as reported by The Guardian. As a result of this, officials with the U.N. warned that roughly five million Haitian people would be forced to deal with catastrophic famine.
Ariel Henry, the Prime Minister of Haiti, asked for international military aid from U.N. officials.
Reuters issued a report this month that explained how the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested sending out “a rapid action force” in order to assist the police of Haiti in dealing with the threat posed by heavily armed gangs, with gang leaders such as Jimmy Chérizier, who was previously a member of the police forces known as “Barbecue.”
“[Cherizier] is directly responsible for the devastating fuel shortage that is crippling the country,” explained officials from the U.N.
Guterres labeled the events taking place, especially those in Port-au-Prince, as outstandingly “nightmarish” for the population of the country.
“I believe that we need not only to strengthen the [Haitian] police – strengthening it with training, with equipment, with a number of other measures – but that in the present circumstances, we need an armed action to release the port and to allow for a humanitarian corridor to be established,” he expressed, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The representative from Mexico to the United Nations, Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, expressed that the sanctions would be set up against the regime responsible for the violence and an arms embargo.
“It is not a question of sanctions against the Government, but against those who strike blows against the Government and terrorize citizens,” expressed Ramírez, as reported by a transcript provided by the U.N.
The administration of President Joe Biden stated that it was going over the request this past week.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated this past week that officials with the U.S. would distribute humanitarian aid to the people of Haiti, adding that those within the administration would set up further visa restrictions against officials of the nation.
The officials from both Russia and China claimed that any sort of foreign intervention in Haiti could spark a violent battle with the population.