In a letter sent to the UN Security Council on February 25, 2025, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, provides the first details of his proposal to help the mission in Haiti fight gangs.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres proposes to open a UN office that would provide: general supply support, a Joint Operations Center to help collect, store and share sensitive operational information, as well as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) support, drone surveillance, mobility support (land, air), ground and air fuel and other forms of non-lethal support to the Kenyan-led mission in Haiti that is fighting gangs in support of the Haitian National Police (PNH)

Member States are requested on a bilateral basis to reinforce with additional military capabilities and lethal equipment the defense forces in Haiti in order to fill current weaknesses.

Let's emphasize that in this proposal, it is the existing Trust Fund that would assume the payment of all the Mission's salaries, as is currently the case (a fund financed on a voluntary basis by countries of the international community.)

Guterres said that his proposal was a "at this stage, transitioning to a U.N. peacekeeping operation is not... afeasible option.".

Let's clarify that a UN blue helmet mission cannot have an offensive mandate against gangs in Haiti. As a general rule, the Blue Helmets do not intervene in an open conflict, they can use force at the tactical level, with the authorization of the Security Council, only if they act in self-defense. Peacekeeping operations must always use force as a last resort.

To be continued...

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-44332-haiti-politic-antonio-guterre-proposes-a-formula-for-a-security-force-capable-of-defeating-gangs-in-haiti.html

SL/ HaitiLibre