Jamaica’s efforts to help restore stability in Haiti have been commended by the Biden Administration whose top diplomat, Antony Blinken, last week made a push for progress on overdue plans to send a United Nations-backed multinational force to the violence-plagued Caribbean nation.

“Jamaica is leading the way among Caribbean nations in its commitment and we are proud to support it,” US Undersecretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya told the Jamaica Observer during a working visit to Kingston last Tuesday.

Zeya said she had “extensive discussions” with Prime Minister Andrew Holness and members of his Cabinet, as well as with Opposition Leader Mark Golding, “on the international leadership that Jamaica is showing in its public commitment of 200 personnel to the multinational security support force in Haiti” and described the pledge as, “a very important step” in the international community’s endeavour to assist the French-speaking country.

“For our part the United States has publicly committed over US$200 million in both financial support and in-kind equipment, deployment support, that we hope will help alleviate this horrific situation for the Haitian people, one which no one in our hemisphere can ignore,” Undersecretary Zeya said and pointed to a plan by US Secretary of State Blinken to get movement on the multinational force during last week’s G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The US and Brazil had co-hosted the meeting on the sidelines of the G20 talks.

“I think it’s safe to say that one of the most urgent challenges we face as an international community is in Haiti,” Blinken told the meeting attended by representatives from Canada, Kenya, Haiti, and the United Nations (UN), among others.

“Improving the security situation is in our collective interests,” he added.

Washington’s effort came after the Kenyan Government’s decision to send a 1,000-strong police contingent to Haiti to lead the UN-backed mission was blocked by its High Court.

“Any decision by any State organ or State officer to deploy police officers to Haiti…contravenes the constitution and the law and is therefore unconstitutional, illegal and invalid,” Judge Enock Chacha Mwita had ruled on Friday, January 26, 2024.

“An order is hereby issued prohibiting deployment of police forces to Haiti or any other country,” he said.

However, hours later, Kenyan Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura responded: “While the Government respects the rule of law, we have, however, made the decision to challenge the high court’s verdict forthwith. The Government reiterates its commitment in honouring its international obligations.”

Last Tuesday, Undersecretary Zeya pointed to the Kenyan Government’s response and commended the African nation for “stepping forward to lead this multinational support mission”.

“Kenya, as a fellow democracy, is addressing its court ruling which, as we understand it, will allow for the deployment of the Kenyan-led force, provided there is a reciprocal arrangement with Haitian authorities,” Zeya said.

“Just last week there was an important operational planning meeting that we hosted in Washington alongside the Kenyan Government. We had strong representation from the Government of Jamaica and other countries who have stepped forward to both offer forces as well as financial, and in-kind and training resources to this critically important multinational security support mission,” she told the Observer.

The security mission received the green light from the UN last year after appeals from the Haitian Government for assistance to confront violence that has left almost 5,000 people dead.

Jamaica, Canada, Benin, France, and Germany have announced contributions of either money or personnel to the force. Current estimates for the force are that it would need at least 2,500 boots on the ground.

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

The assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 plunged the country further into chaos. No elections have been held since 2016 and the presidency remains vacant.

Last week, a Haitian judge indicted dozens of people for the assassination, including Moise’s widow, a former prime minister, and an ex-police chief.

Last month, Haiti’s foreign minister pleaded for the deployment of the multinational force to be accelerated, telling the UN Security Council that gang violence in the country was as barbaric as the horrors experienced in war zones.

“The Haitian people cannot take any more. I hope this time is the last time I will speak before the deployment of a multinational force to support our security forces,” Jean Victor Geneus told the council.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the need for the force remained “extremely high” despite the Kenyan court decision.

“We need urgent action, we need urgent funding, and we hope that member states will continue to do their part,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.