At least two factors led the Brazilian government to reject insistent calls from the UN and the United States government to lead multinational police forces in combating criminal gangs in Haiti.
Negotiations and requests took place over several months, given the increase in violence in the Caribbean country — today, almost completely dominated by criminal gangs that have killed more than 2,500 people this year alone.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, even discussed the mission with President Lula (PT) — in addition to several other messages exchanged between the diplomats.
Brazil, however, did not show enthusiasm for leading the operation at any time.
On Monday (2), the UN Security Council, under the presidency of Brazil, finally approved a resolution determining the deployment of international police forces for a period of at least one year.
The mission will be led by Kenya, with help from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas and Jamaica.
Strategic assessment
The first and most important factor for Brazil’s denial was a strategic and diplomatic assessment that the international community practically abandoned the Caribbean country after the end of the United Nations Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti (Minustah, in its French acronym), which operated between 2004 and 2017.
MINUSTAH was a military operation created by the UN Security Council to restore peace and order in the country, which was plagued by disputes between several armed groups after the deposition of President Jean Bertrand Aristide.
Brazil led the operation throughout its 13 years of existence, with the largest number of troops and with the country’s general always in overall command.
The assessment of Itamaraty and the Brazilian government, according to CNN found out, is that MINUSTAH was very important in trying to stabilize the country, but that other countries turned their backs on Haiti after the end of the mission – which led to the deepening of a political and security crisis.
A source heard by CNN said that the “international community did not give the follow-up that MINUSTAH needed, and the consequence was the dramatic setbacks of recent years”.
In this context, as government strategists understood, returning to lead a foreign force in Haiti could once again expose Brazil to the risk of seeing all its efforts abandoned at the end of the operation.
The second factor was the nature of the current mission. Unlike MINUSTAH, which was a military operation, the action now approved by the Security Council is only a police one.
Video — UN will send security mission to Haiti
This point completely changes the needs and configurations of what needs to be sent to Haiti.
If it agreed to participate with police troops, the government would be committing to sending large numbers of professionals and equipment to the island.
This could, among other things, lead to internal criticism for wasting resources by the country’s police, at a time when violence rates are increasing in several Brazilian states.
A third point was raised to justify the Brazilian refusal: the possible distrust of some authorities towards the military, at a time when the country is still investigating the possible involvement of some members of the Armed Forces in the undemocratic acts of January 8th.
Sources heard by CNN however, give little weight to the topic, since the military would, at most, have a lateral presence in the eminently police operation in Haiti.
At the end of all discussions, the Kenyan government agreed to lead the mission and agreed to send around a thousand police officers to work together with Haitian forces.
The African country’s undeclared objective is to increase its presence on the international stage and obtain diplomatic credit, especially with the United States.
Training
Brazil has committed to considering assistance with the training of Haitian police officers, but the details of such assistance have not yet been discussed with Haitian authorities.
In a note released this Tuesday (3), Itamaraty recalls that “Brazil played a significant role throughout the negotiations on the mission’s mandate and actively contributed to the approval of the current resolution” in the Security Council.
Furthermore, the note states that “Brazil will continue to support, in collaboration with the other members of the Security Council and the international community, the stability and development of Haiti.”
“The Brazilian government emphasizes the importance of the international community intensifying its support for Haiti, in order to strengthen the promotion of the country’s security and development.”
The last sentence of the statement only reinforces, in diplomatic jargon, the assessment that the international community has recently turned its back on the Caribbean country.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
