Roadmap to Int’l Intervention in Haiti spelled out by Feinstein, US Official for Caribbean Affairs

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

August 11, 2023 – There are several steps to complete, but it’s looking more and more likely that there will be international boots on the ground in Haiti in the very near future.

The revelation came from Barbara A. Feinstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, in a press briefing on August 04.  It followed a whirlwind of activity prompted by Kenya’s recent announcement that they would consider leading any multinational force deployed to the beleaguered country.

She explained the process to get soldiers into the country.

“The next steps for the Kenyan Government are to perform an assessment on the ground in Haiti, which we expect to take place in the coming weeks; to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders on the ground in Haiti and New York at the United Nations.  Provided the Kenyans are able to secure approval from their own government, they would then work with the United Nations to secure UN authorization of such a force,” said Feinstein in a press conference covered by Caribbean media firms.

Feinstein said the US is prepared to support by introducing a resolution authorizing the force, and they are fairly confident it will pass, with the Deputy describing the Government as ‘optimistic.’

“I would note that in the recent unanimous renewal of the authorization to extend the UN mission on the ground in Haiti, we [also] saw unanimous support for language that did endorse the idea of a multinational force and called for a report to lay out options,” she said.

That report will be tabled by August 15 and will help shape the multinational force.  As for how this multi-national force would operate, once it gets into Haiti, that depends on the findings of the Kenyan assessment.  What is certain is that it won’t be on the front lines.

Instead, it will: “Jumpstart the process of improving security in Haiti by sending thousands of additional personnel to secure critical infrastructure sites and thereby allow the Haitian national police to increase their focus on battling gangs.”

Haitian gangs have repeatedly taken control of important infrastructure relating to oil and electricity especially, forcing police to split their efforts to try and reclaim them while engaging in front-line battles with the gangs.

The US maintains it is committed to having Haiti lead on the response.

The Bahamas and Jamaica are among the countries which have also committed troops for the international mission should it be approved.