Politics

Kenya’s Ruto receptive to turning Haiti mission to U.N. peacekeeping

Published

3 months ago

September 23, 2024

In his latest visit to Haiti on Saturday, Kenyan President William Ruto revealed that Kenya’s anti-gang mission to the troubled American country may become a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

Ruto visited Haiti to inspect the Multinational Security Support (MSS) deployment, where Kenya is leading the fight against gang violence that has caused political upheaval and enormous displacement.

The United States of America and Ecuador have published a draft resolution requesting that the UN start preparing for a U.N. peacekeeping operation. The Security Council reportedly started drafting a resolution to extend the MSS mandate and order the UN to plan for its formal peacekeeping operation.

Since June, around 400 Kenyan police have been deployed as part of the UN-backed mission.

“On the suggestion to transit this into a fully U.N. Peacekeeping mission, we have absolutely no problem with it, if that is the direction the U.N. security council wants to take,” Ruto said on Saturday in Port-au-Prince.

A draft language that would have asked the U.N. to start planning to convert the MSS mission into a U.N. peacekeeping operation as well as extend the MSS mandate for an additional year was circulated by the United States and Ecuador.

The 15-member council is scheduled to cast a vote on the mandate renewal on September 30.

Kenya dispatched approximately 400 police personnel to Port-au-Prince in June and July out of an anticipated 1,000 after the Security Council authorised the MSS mission. Together, a few more nations have committed at least 1,900 additional troops.

However, in light of the delays in the deployment of personnel and essential equipment required to combat violent gangs, the effectiveness of the MSS mission has come under fire. The state of affairs has gotten worse, according to the UN specialist on human rights in Haiti, who stated on Friday that there are currently roughly 700,000 internally displaced persons.

After months of pleading for help from external forces, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres finally relented and provided 1,000 police when Haiti requested an international force in 2022 to combat gangs.

It is expected that police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica will join the Kenyan troop, bringing the total number of police worldwide to 2,500.

Related Topics:Haiti Kenya United Nations

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

2 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.