October 2, 2023
On Monday at 4pm Eastern Time, the UN Security Council is expected to vote on authorizing the deployment of a Kenyan-led military force to Haiti to stop a surge in gang violence and restore security in the troubled Caribbean nation.
The U.S.-drafted UN resolution made public on Saturday makes clear this would be a non-UN force funded by voluntary contributions. The United States has already pledged to contribute $100 million and logistical support.
There are peaceful alternatives to armed intervention in Haiti. We covered a few of these alternatives in the November-December 2022 issue of NewsNotes.
Two prominent Haitian-American organizations, NHAEON and FANM, have sent an open letter to the Biden Administration opposing armed intervention because it amounts to support for an illegitimate government with known ties to the gangs, and thus will likely make things worse. Instead they call for:
- No military intervention or UN-led mission in Haiti
- Withdraw support for the acting Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry
- Support the establishment of a transitional government
- Block and investigate arms shipments from the United States and other countries to Haiti
Use the form below to tell U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield to listen to Haitian and Haitian-American leaders offering creative and reasonable alternatives to sending troops to Haiti.