Haiti lockdown update and our thoughts on the UN Security Support Mission
On January 26th, a High Court judge in Kenya blocked the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to lead the UN Security Mission to Haiti citing several lacking procedural actions that deem the effort as illegal and unconstitutional.
An appeal is in place while the Kenyan government works to submit the necessary evidence to move the deployment forward. In December, they sent a team to Haiti to prepare for the Mission, and following the court’s ruling, they announced that they still plan to move the mission forward as soon as next week.
This week, Haiti is experiencing another Peyi Lok (country lockdown) as the country calls for Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down. February 7th marks the day an elected President assumes power. Without an election in place, the Haitian people are again left without a legitimate government to serve them. The Peyi Lok is meant to demonstrate their collective agreement that Henry’s time is up.
We anticipated the situation escalating this month and have worked with our families and team in Haiti to plan for it, including strengthening community social infrastructure and communications and adjusting program and service details and timelines.
Despite movement around PAP being limited, daily life within our communities has, so far, been able to continue. Students whose schools are in their community are able to continue. Community services and businesses, including the businesses we invested in, are still able to operate. Waste collection services are limited to areas that collectors can safely reach. Our Community Leaders continue to shine in these moments to deliver services and bridge potential gaps in communications.
Whether or not the UN Security Mission will take place is yet to be determined. Our Haitian families and team are hoping for this intervention to arrive, but most Haitians are not convinced that troops will actually be coming. During our preparation period, they shared their below requirements for how the mission may unfold.
The Mission Should Respect Human Rights - every occupation in the past has had its share of good and bad outcomes. As an organization, we must stay focused on the human rights aspect to hold those coming to Haiti accountable for their actions while they are in the country. We would like partnerships with organizations that are working closely with human rights in this regard.
Those Responsible for the Mission Should Communicate Their Strategy - to date, the strategy of the Security Mission is still unknown, leaving it open for questions and speculations. Clear communications will allow families and businesses to support their communities’ efforts and plan ahead. We would like to understand how the Kenyan-led troops will lead this mission.
The Mission Should Work to Minimize Harm to the People it is Set Up to Support - a coordinated approach will increase the chance of success and decrease the potential loss of people and/or assets. Specifically, we know that increased fighting with the use of weapons will happen between police and gang members, and we want to see community members be given advance notice with the chance to safely leave their homes and the area before it's too late.
The Mission Should Work to Preserve Assets and Consider the Future - we know this will not be an easy task, but people on all sides are human beings and we need to respect their rights and provide means for them to continue investing in the communities. After all, they will be left to carry forward after the Mission departs. We recommend intentional efforts to avoid displacement and preserve community infrastructure as much as possible so community members can rebuild.
We will continue to monitor the situation. In the meantime, we have worked with our families to put together a baseline set of requirements for the UN Security Mission. If you have any questions, please email us at support@dowork.org.
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