
Resolution 2793, adopted Tuesday by the UN Security Council, aims to give the Multinational Security Mission a “more robust” force to counter gang control over Port-au-Prince. It authorizes up to 5,500 police and military personnel — a clear jump from the meager staffing of the previous Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission — but struggles to conceal structural flaws already on display.
The MSS, led by Kenya, has been criticized for chronic understaffing and lack of resources: it operates with barely a thousand personnel instead of the 2,500 announced. An investigation notes that despite its presence, “the gangs have gained territory and power”—a sign the mission is “unfit for purpose.”
Several observers denounce a programmed powerlessness: some argue the project was doomed from the start, as financial commitments from donors never matched the initial promises. At the same time, Kenyan authorities face domestic legal constraints: Kenya’s Supreme Court deemed the deployment of its forces to Haiti “unconstitutional.”
The ineffectiveness of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) is widening the abyss: it has produced no notable improvement in security after more than a year in operation. The Haiti Devant party accuses the CPT of having “failed in its mission” just months before hoped-for elections.
The Fils-Aimé government is not spared criticism either: Fritz Alphonse Jean attacks it for its “silence and inaction” in the face of the deteriorating security situation. Some denounce empty promises and an executive unable to address urgent needs.
Resolution 2793 represents an international attempt to set things right, but offers no guarantee of success given the proven weaknesses of the MSS—and the failures of both the TPC and the government.
