United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visited Haiti on Tuesday to inspect a new international gang-suppression force and highlight the nation's humanitarian crisis.
The visit comes as surging gang violence destabilizes the country, forcing the international community to authorize a security mission to prevent total state collapse.
Guterres toured the headquarters of the newly approved force in Port-au-Prince. The authorized mission consists of 5,550 members [4] intended to curb the violence that has gripped the capital and surrounding areas.
During his visit, Guterres warned that the global community is neglecting the scale of the suffering in Haiti. "The international community is 'looking away' from the problem," Guterres said.
The humanitarian toll has reached critical levels. Reports indicate that 1.5 million people have been displaced [1], and more than one in 10 people in the population have been left homeless [2]. Other UN releases have specifically counted 2,300 people as homeless [3] in recent tallies.
To address the immediate needs of the population, the U.S. has committed financial support. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, "We are pledging $47 million in aid to help Haiti confront this crisis" [5].
The Secretary-General used the tour of the security base to emphasize that military force alone cannot solve the crisis. He said that the security deployment must be paired with significant international humanitarian investment to stabilize the region.
“"The international community is 'looking away' from the problem."”
The deployment of a 5,550-member force signals a shift toward more aggressive international intervention to restore order in Haiti. However, the gap between the massive number of displaced persons and the specific aid pledges suggests that the security mission may outpace the humanitarian relief necessary to sustain a long-term recovery.
