The United Nations has approved a much larger international force for Haiti, called the “Gang Suppression Force,” with up to 5,550 troops and police to replace the smaller Kenyan-led mission that has failed to stop escalating gang violence in Port-au-Prince.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the current mission lacked the scale and resources needed to restore security in the Caribbean nation.
“Today’s vote sets that right with this vote to transform the MSS mission to the new Gang Suppression Force, a mission five times the size of its predecessor and with a strengthened mandate to go after the gangs,” he said.
It was not immediately clear when the GSF would be deployed or which countries would provide the additional police and soldiers.
The current mission, called the Multinational Security Support (MSS), is led by Kenya, and troops and police have come from Kenya, Jamaica, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
In earlier stages, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad have formally said they would contribute personnel.
Source: BBC, United Nations.