Explainer: Why Haiti is calling for a new international mission
UN NewsSep 29, 2023
Kenyan Court Says Police Can't Deploy to Haiti
The Facts
Kenyan High Court Judge Chacha Mwita on Friday rejected the government's plan to deploy 1K police officers to Haiti to combat gang violence. Mwita said the plan, which was approved by the UN in October, could not be conducted without a "reciprocal arrangement" with Haiti.
Mwita ruled that the proposed deployment is "unconstitutional, illegal, and invalid," adding that he is thus "prohibiting deployment of police forces to Haiti or any other country."
The Spin
Narrative A
The international community, including Kenya, must step in to stop Haiti's suffering. Gangs are committing murders and other heinous crimes while forcing thousands of children out of school due to deteriorating security. This UN-backed mission was requested by the Haitian prime minister, and Kenya and other nations should heed his plea.
Narrative B
The UN can't be trusted, considering its horrible record on Haiti. A previous attempt by the blue helmets to combat gangs resulted in innocent lives lost and more heinous acts taking place. The UN's attempt to help after the 2010 earthquake was also a failure. Financial support would be more effective than putting UN representatives on the ground in Haiti.
Cynical narrative
There may be nothing that can be done to help Haiti as long as a country as powerful as the US is holding the island back. From the George H. W. Bush presidency through today, US administrations have been involved in ousting and replacing duly elected leaders to benefit no one other than the US foreign policy establishment. Nothing positive will happen as long as foreign powers like the US keep meddling in Haiti's politics.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that Haiti will become a World Bank upper middle-income country by January 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.