Haitians protest against deployment of a UN-backed multinational military force in Haiti. Photo: Kevin Pina.
Russia and China opposed military intervention in Haiti during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the deployment of an international force in the Caribbean island nation.
“Some consider that the panacea is a multinational force, when history shows us that such foreign interventions have done more harm than good in Haiti,” deputy ambassador of Russia to the United Nations, Dmitri Polianski, said during the meeting held on Friday, July 7.
The Russian representative exhorted the international community to listen to the voices of Haitians who advocate for other alternatives amid the serious political and economic crisis in the country.
The Russian diplomat made the statement after UN Secretary General António Guterres called for the immediate formation of a foreign military force to fight against armed gangs in Haiti.
“It will not be a UN political or military mission, but a robust multinational force, deployed by the international community and acting hand in hand with the Haitian police,” said Guterres.
Deploying a military force not under the UN mandate in a UN member state will be contradictory to the United Nation’s own charter.
Haitians have the right to decide their own future
The Chinese ambassador to the UN Security Council, Zhang Jun, urged for a deeper analysis of the situation in Haiti in order to propose other initiatives, and emphasized that Haitians have the right to decide their own destiny.
“We have heard many speeches in support of this multinational force, but no country has announced concrete actions, so it seems that more in-depth analysis will be necessary before arriving at a viable proposal,” he said.
In October 2022, the interim government of Haiti, headed by unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry, requested the UNSC for assistance through a multinational force. So far, no country has directly offered to lead it.
The UN Security Council debate held on July 7 coincided with the second anniversary of the assassination of former president of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, who was killed in his personal residence by a commando of heavily armed mercenaries, mostly Colombians. Moïse’s term had already ended by then, and he had been ruling by decree for months. The assassination worsened the crisis that Haiti was already suffering for years.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/AF
