United States President Joe Biden has called on the United Nations to approve a “security support mission” to Haiti to help the Caribbean nation stem months of surging gang violence.
Speaking during the UN General Assembly on Tuesday morning, Biden urged the UN Security Council to “authorise this mission now”.
“The people of Haiti cannot wait much longer,” the US president said during his address at UN headquarters in New York City.
Biden is the only top leader from the five Security Council permanent member states to be in attendance at the high-profile UN event.
In October of last year, Haiti’s de facto leader, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, called on the international community to help set up a “specialised armed force” to quell a surge in gang violence that has disrupted daily life for millions of Haitians.
More than 2,400 people have been killed in Haiti since the start of the year amid rampant gang violence, the UN said earlier this month.
The request for an international mission to Haiti enjoyed the backing of the US and the UN, but a deployment has been stalled for months because no country had agreed to lead such a mission to the country.
Credit: aljazeera.com
