Photo credit: KXLY
Haiti is about to get a new set of foreign boots on the ground. The goal sounds simple: fight the gangs that have brought life to a standstill.
CNN reports that the latest initiative is a UN-backed multinational effort to be known as the Gang Suppression Effort (GSF). It will take over in April from where its Kenyan-led predecessor – the Multinational Security Support (MSS) – left off.
While the year-long Kenyan-led mission ended in what was widely perceived as a failure in October last year, it’s hoped that this time around the force will benefit from a fivefold increase in the number of troops committed – to an expected 5,500 – and what UXS Ambassador Mike Waltz has called a “strengthened mandate” to go after the gangs.
It’s also hoped that the new force will benefit from UN-backed logistical support through a UN Support Office in Haiti and largely avoid the funding shortfalls of its predecessor, which relied almost entirely on voluntary financial contributions from member states.
However, questions remain over its make-up and funding. While the GSF will be overseen by a “Standing Group of Partners” that includes the US, Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Kenya and The Bahamas, whether these countries themselves will be sending troops (and if so, how many) remains unclear. Chad, Benin and Bangladesh are among the nations to have previously pledged troops, according to Reuters, though none have so far deployed. It will also still rely at least partially on voluntary financial contributions, for example, to pay personnel salaries.
With gangs still controlling vast swathes of the country, including key supply routes in the Caribbean country, whether the latest mission can really deliver on its promise to learn from past mistakes – and if so, at what cost – remains far from certain.
