Source: United Nations (video statements)
The Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Carlos Ruiz Massieu, told journalists in New York that the expectation is that once the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) is deployed in Haiti, “the security situation can improve.”
Ruiz Massieu, who briefed the Security Council on Wednesday, said, “there is a dire need to do that” and noted that “around 80 percent” of the capital, Port au Prince, is “either with influence or control by the gangs.”
He pointed out that by the first of April “we need to have already the Support Mission in place, and we are on schedule on that,” and by that time, the GSF “will receive the first battalions to already strengthen the force later on throughout the year.”
Asked about the role to be played by the Kenyan contingent, first deployed to Haiti in 2024, Ruiz Massieu said, “the decision on the lead once they you have all the battalions in place will correspond more to the Special Representative of the GSF and on the Force Commander. I believe Kenya – which by the way we have to be very grateful of the of the work they have done throughout this time in the country – probably they still need to decide whether to continue their participation in the Force and how, but it’s up to up to them a completely.”
Asked about Haiti’s electoral calendar, he said, “we do expect and we do hope that the electoral calendar is observed. They do have a first round of elections scheduled for 30th of August and the second for early December. But at some point during the year, we need to make a technical assessment whether the conditions are there in order to have a free, fair, and legitimate elections throughout the country.”
Haiti approaches a key political deadline with its transitional authorities’ mandate set to expire on 7 February.
The Mexican diplomat said, “it is a time for different stakeholders, political parties, current authorities, to come together and think about the national interest. The current authorities should still make use of the couple of weeks that they have as current authorities to do whatever they can and benefit of the country.”
He said, “how you measure success is actually by improving a security in certain areas of Port au Prince that can enable Haitians to walk freely, to work freely, and the country to be able to organise elections in a meaningful way.”
Security Council Resolution 2793, adopted in September, authorized the transition of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti to the new Gang Suppression Force (GSF) and established the UN Support Office in Haiti (UNSOH) to provide logistical and operational backing.