The United Nations Security Council extended the authorisation of the multinational policing mission in Haiti on Monday without mentioning transforming it into a UN peacekeeping mission, despite Port-au-Prince’s suggestion.
The resolution, adopted unanimously, expressed deep concern about the violence, criminal activities, and mass displacement in Haiti, with reports saying that more than 3,600 people have been killed this year due to gang violence in the country.
The Kenyan-led policing mission, aimed at supporting the Haitian national police in regaining control of areas under gang influence, was extended until October 2, 2025. Although operating with the approval of the UN and Haitian government, it is not a UN-run force.
Several months after the Council’s initial approval in October 2023, Kenya began deploying its first contingents this summer. The force comprises around 400 personnel, including over a dozen officers from Jamaica and Belize.
Kenyan President William Ruto pledged last week that the deployment would be completed by January, bringing the total to 2,500.
However, Edgard Leblanc Fils, the head of the transitional council governing Haiti, expressed his desire to consider transforming the security support mission into a UN peacekeeping mission to raise necessary funds.
The first version of the extension resolution, initially drafted by the United States and Ecuador, called for planning to begin for a transition from the security deployment to a full-fledged UN peacekeeping operation. After challenging negotiations, the adopted text made no reference to such a shift, instead encouraging the mission to accelerate its deployment and seeking additional voluntary contributions and support.
Guinea, which has been under junta rule since a coup in 2021, offered on Saturday to contribute 650 police officers to the mission.