Ruto roots for UN Support Office to back Kenya-led Haiti security mission in a call with Rubio » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 20 — President William Ruto has called for the creation of a United Nations support office to bolster the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti, during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, Ruto said the discussion covered a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues. Both sides underscored the need for a UN Security Council resolution to strengthen the Kenya-led mission in Haiti.

“We concurred on the imperative of a resolution at the UN Security Council to establish a UN support office for the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti, to aid efforts to stabilize and secure the country,” Ruto said.

The two leaders also reviewed ongoing security interventions in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) is jointly engaged. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to regional peace and long-term stability.

On the bilateral front, Ruto said the call emphasized the importance of deepening Kenya–US ties.

“We agreed to strengthen cooperation for the long-term benefit of our people and nations,” he added.

The conversation comes amid heightened diplomatic efforts to sustain the multinational mission in Haiti.

Mission review

In comes a week after Kenya’s Deputy National Security Adviser Joseph Boinnet held talks in Port-au-Prince with Haiti’s transitional President Laurent Saint-Cyr.

He was accompanied by Kenya’s Consul General to Haiti Noor Gabow and MSS mission head Godfrey Otunge.

The delegation met Saint-Cyr for nearly two hours at the presidential offices, reviewing the performance of Kenyan police officers deployed in Haiti and exploring possibilities of expanding the mission.

“Boinnet is in Haiti for a review mission on the performance of the Kenya police officers deployed there,” a statement issued after the meeting said.

Officials noted that President Saint-Cyr expressed satisfaction with the MSS’s operations despite persistent threats from heavily armed gangs.

Funding concerns

Kenya currently leads the force, with 800 officers on the ground since June 2024. Plans are underway to send additional personnel within two months.

The multinational force, authorized by the UN Security Council in October 2023, is tasked with supporting Haiti’s police to combat armed gangs, restore order, and facilitate humanitarian aid.

However, the mission has struggled with funding shortfalls and political hurdles.

In November, a US-backed push to transition the MSS into a fully fledged UN peacekeeping mission was vetoed by Russia and China.

Moscow and Beijing argued that conditions on the ground were not conducive for peacekeepers.

China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Geng Shuang warned that deploying a peacekeeping force would mean “putting peacekeepers into the front line of battles with gangs,” while Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky criticized the lack of adequate funding for the existing mission.

Kenya has since appealed for urgent international financial support, with the UN trust fund for the mission still falling short. To date, USD85.3 million of the USD96.8 million pledged has been disbursed.

Haiti remains gripped by gang violence that has killed more than 3,600 people this year, including over 100 children, according to the UN. More than half a million people have been displaced.

The crisis deepened this month with the election of Laurent Saint-Cyr, a wealthy businessman, as head of Haiti’s transitional presidential council.

His leadership coincides with US efforts to pursue Haitian gang leaders on criminal charges, including Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, accused of leading deadly attacks and extortion rackets in Port-au-Prince.

Despite the dire situation, Kenyan officers have made progress in securing key installations and reclaiming neighborhoods previously controlled by gangs.

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