The UN mission in Haiti extended by nine months

The United States and China found a compromise on Friday evening, October 15 on the presence of the UN in Haiti, the Security Council voting at the last minute for a nine-month extension of the United Nations political mission in this country. in crisis.

While this UN political mission in Haiti - called Binuh and which has existed since October 2019 - expired on Friday, the 15 members of the Security Council negotiated all day to agree on a resolution adopted unanimously and extending the mission until July 15, 2022.

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Haiti has long been managed in the Security Council by the United States.

It is a former American ambassador, Helen La Lime, who is emissary of the United Nations in Haiti.

As part of the annual extension of Binuh, the Security Council had planned the adoption of a resolution Thursday, then Friday.

But the initial text, prepared by the Americans and providing for a one-year extension, was threatened by a Chinese veto: Beijing notably accused the UN of having

for Haiti and of having wasted the money there. major powers, especially China, according to a diplomatic source.

Chinese opposition

Another reason never publicly cited by China to explain its refusal is linked to Haiti's recognition of Taiwan, sources told AFP. Already in June, China had sharply rejected a draft Security Council declaration on Haiti proposed by the United States. The text was limited to deploring

in this country. Faced with the draft American resolution extending the mission until October 15, 2022, China wanted to impose a period of six months, until April 15. The two leading world powers have therefore found a compromise over a period of nine months, with an assessment to be carried out by the Secretary General of the United Nations after six months.

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Haiti is in the midst of a deep political, economic, social and security crisis.

Without a president since the assassination in July of Jovenel Moïse, the state no longer plans elections for, at best, the second half of 2022.