Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has described as a diplomatic victory for his country, the United Nations Security Council’s approval of a Kenyan-led mission aimed at returning stability to Haiti, a year after leaders in the violence-ravaged Caribbean nation first pleaded for help.

According to President Abinader, the UN approval was the result of long and persistent systematic, strategic, and intelligent work by the Dominican Republic.

“We underwent two long years of work, of persistence. At some moments we thought that no one was listening to us, but after the perseverance of our diplomacy we have achieved what must be the beginning of the end for peacemaking in the country,” a news release from the Dominican Republic embassy in Jamaica quotes President Abinader as saying during a news conference.

He said that the Kenyan-led mission will be favourable for the entire region “and specially for Haiti, and the Dominican Republic”.

Haiti has been in turmoil, with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence. The economy and public health system are also in tatters.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been calling, since late 2022, for international support to back the police force, but much of the global community had been jaded by the failure of earlier interventions in Haiti.

The UN resolution passed on October 2 with 13 votes in favour, with China and Russia abstaining. It was hailed by Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus as bringing a “glimmer of hope for people who have been suffering the consequences of a difficult political, socio-economic, security and humanitarian situation for too long”.

A breakthrough in plans for the force came in July when Kenya volunteered to lead it and send 1,000 personnel.

“We must not fail the people of Haiti,” Kenyan President William Ruto declared in a statement last week Tuesday, saying they had “borne the brunt of colonial plunder and repression”.

“This mandate is not only about peace and security, but also about the rebuilding of Haiti — its politics, its economic development, and social stability,” Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said separately.

The resolution calls for the deployment of a “multinational security support mission” — not officially a UN force — with a “lead country” coordinating with the Haitian Government.

The mission is initially approved for one year, with a review after nine months.

The force aims to provide “operational support to the Haitian National Police, including building its capacity through the planning and conduct of joint security support operations”, the resolution states.

The mission will also aim to create conditions to hold elections, which have not taken place in Haiti since 2016.