UNITED NATIONS, United States (CMC) — Haiti on Tuesday welcomed the decision of the United Nations (UN) Security Council to back a resolution authorising the transition of the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission for Haiti into a new Gang Suppression Force (GSF).

The resolution was moved by the United States and Panama and by a vote of 12 in favour to none against, with three abstentions (namely China, Pakistan and the Russian Federation), the council adopted the text as resolution 2793.

Through the resolution, the council authorised member states to transition the MSS mission to the GSF for an initial period of 12 months, and among other terms, the Security Council has decided that the GSF shall have an authorised personnel ceiling of 5,550, consisting of 5,500 uniformed personnel, comprised of both military and police and 50 civilians.

United States (US) Ambassador Michael Waltz said the resolution, undertaken in close collaboration with the Haitian authorities, offered new hope for the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country where criminal gangs have been seeking to overthrow the provisional government since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.

Waltz said that the resolution is “a key first step” to address the humanitarian and security crisis there, while Panama said, “Today we say to Haiti, once and for all, you are not alone.”

“The result today allows us to have the necessary reconfiguration on the ground in order to face the gangs and, therefore, address the insecurity situation in the country.”

Panama said that the Haitian people “cannot wait any longer”, adding, “We are convinced that, with this initiative, the Security Council, on this occasion, is complying with its role as expressed in the UN Charter.”

Haiti’s representative Ericq Pierre said the decision to transform the MSS to the GSF “marks a decisive turning point in my country’s fight against one of the most serious challenges in its already turbulent history”.

Pierre said that while the MSS mission has been “a valuable support and a strong signal of international solidarity” he noted that “the reality on the ground has reminded us that the scale and sophistication of the threat far exceeds the mandate initially granted to this mission”.

He said as the Security Council grants a stronger, more offensive and more operational mandate, it “is giving the international community the means to respond to the gravity of the situation in Haiti”.

Caricom is also assisting the UN Support Office in Haiti “to provide the necessary logistical and administrative support for this robust force”.

Guyana’s ambassador to the UN, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, speaking on behalf of her country as well as for Algeria, Sierra Leone and Somalia, said even though there was not sufficient time to consult, “we approached the process with our foremost responsibility to the Haitian people, whose lives and livelihoods are directly impacted by the dire security crisis in the country”.

“We placed utmost priority on ensuring that there were adequate safeguards for the protection of human rights, including the rights of children, who comprise 50 per cent of gang membership,” she said.

“Secondly, we also recognise our obligation to support and strengthen the efforts of Kenya, Barbados, The Bahamas, El Salvador, Guatemala and Jamaica, as well as the other countries supporting the MSS mission,”  the Guyanese diplomat added.

The representative for Russia said that, unfortunately, the tools of international assistance to Haiti pushed through the UN Security Council have failed to produce any sustainable results, noting, “and we have every reason to believe that this new mission, under yet another grand title, will meet the same fate”.

It continued that no proper assessment of the efficacy, successes or failures of the MSS had been conducted, adding, “Instead, the council is now being presented with a new idea, to create a mission independent of national and international oversight, with a virtually unrestricted mandate to use force against anyone and everyone labelled with the vague term ‘gangs.”

“Do you not understand that ill-conceived and rushed steps may lead to outcomes that are completely contrary to our goals?” Russia asked.