US Backs Sending ‘Multinational Rapid Action Force’ To Haiti

Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,

The US has drafted a UN Security Council resolution calling for the deployment of an international force to help the Haitian government quell protests and unrest, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

The Post obtained a copy of the resolution, which calls for “the immediate deployment of a multinational rapid action force.” The draft doesn’t identify specific countries that would take part or detail what their role would be, but it is the clearest sign yet that the US favors some sort of military intervention in Haiti.

Political unrest and destabilization has been ongoing for years. Image: AFP/Getty

The draft proposal, which could be formally proposed as soon as Monday, came after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the creation of an international force to help the Haitian National Police as they deal with an uprising led by armed groups the Haitian government considers gangs.

According to the draft resolution, the US is “encouraging the immediate deployment of a multinational rapid action force to support the [Haitian National Police], as recommended in the Secretary General’s letter.”

The US resolution singles out Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, who leads a group known as G9 Family and Allies. Cherizier has blockaded a key fuel terminal in Port-au-Prince and has called for the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who has led the Haitian government since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

On October 10, tens of thousands of Haitian people took to the streets to oppose foreign intervention and demand the resignation of de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry pic.twitter.com/1lRK7qA6RB

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) October 12, 2022

Moïse was gunned down in his home by a group of mostly Colombian mercenaries, some of whom were former members of Colombia’s military and had been previously trained by the Pentagon. But who ordered the killing has not been solved as the investigation has been stalled.

Protests have also broken out in Haiti’s major cities, where demonstrators have blocked roads and are calling for Henry’s resignation. The protests were sparked by the government announcing that it would stop subsidizing fuel.

Wow the US is really sending armored vehicles to Haiti to help quash the exact sort of uprising it’s been supporting in places like Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and Hong Kong?

— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) October 17, 2022

Henry’s government has appealed for the deployment of an international force to help deal with the situation. The US and Canada on Saturday sent armored vehicles and other supplies to help police quell the unrest.