US is considering a UN peacekeeping operation in Haiti

The U.S. is exploring the possibility of a U.N. peacekeeping operation in Haiti as a way to secure funding and staffing for a Kenya-led mission aimed at quelling gang violence in the Caribbean country, a top U.S. diplomat revealed last Wednesday.

“A (peacekeeping operation) is one of the ways we could accomplish that,” said Brian A. Nichols, U.S. assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs. “But we are looking at multiple ways.”

Ultimately, the U.N. Security Council would need to approve a peacekeeping mission. However, experts suggest that such support is unlikely, as many Haitians remain wary after previous U.N. operations introduced cholera and faced sexual abuse allegations during the last deployment of U.N. troops in Haiti. A U.N. spokesman responded to inquiries about a possible peacekeeping mission, stating, “It would be a decision of the Security Council.”

Currently, the U.N.-backed mission to Haiti relies on voluntary contributions, with the U.S. and Canada providing the majority of funding thus far. Some 400 Kenyan police officers have already been deployed, and the mission aims to include additional personnel from countries like the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica. The total mission will involve around 2,500 personnel deployed in phases, costing approximately $600 million annually. At present, the U.N. has received $85 million in pledges, of which $68 million has been disbursed.