Blinken calls for democratic elections in Haiti to achieve stability

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called for resolving the political situation in Haiti and holding democratic elections so that the Caribbean country can overcome the serious crisis it is going through.

On the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting being held these days in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the head of US diplomacy chaired a meeting with foreign ministers on the situation in Haiti.

At the beginning of the session, Blinken reiterated the United States’ support for a Kenya-led multinational mission that should be deployed to Haiti to prevent violence and insecurity, but stressed that stability is only a prerequisite for democracy. can be achieved only with “restoration”.

“The only way to achieve long-term peace and stability is through free elections And fair,” he said.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who completed his mandate on October 7 in accordance with a 2022 political agreement, remains in power and has promised to hold elections when the security situation is favorable.

Germany, Canada, France, Jamaica and Benin joined the United States in supporting the mission on Wednesday and made financial and personnel commitments, the State Department announced in a statement.

These countries thus responded to the request made during the same meeting by the representatives of Haiti and Kenya, who highlighted “There is an urgent need for stronger international support for the mission”,

The United Nations established a trust fund for this mission that could receive additional contributions from countries wishing to do so.

According to US sources, the main logistical challenge of the mission is not finding sufficient personnel, but mobilizing sufficient resources and equipment.

In response to a request expressed by the country’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry in October 2022 to eliminate armed gangs, the United Nations Security Council authorized the dispatch of an assistance mission to the Haitian National Police in 2023, which is currently 80% Let’s control. capital.

The international force will be led by the Kenyan government, although the deployment of the security mission faces delays as the plan has been blocked by Kenyan courts.

According to UN data, in 2023, 4,789 people were murdered, 1,698 injured and 2,490 kidnapped in Haiti, with the country’s murder rate at 40.9 per 100,000, double the previous year and the highest in the world. Is one of.