- He acknowledged the global challenges and the strain on international aid but stressed the importance of meeting the current needs in Haiti.
- Conille also underscored the potential consequences of failing to meet the mission's funding requirements, stating that the expectations might be shattered.
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille has raised concerns over delays in funding for the Kenyan-led mission aimed at stabilising the country.
Conille warned that the lack of timely support could undermine the entire operation and erode the credibility of the transitional government.
"People are living under very bad circumstances. So, they want to see action. They want to see movement," he said.
"Unfortunately, the resources are not enough and not coming quickly enough. We understand that there are a lot of emergencies going on and heavy fatigue, but the good news is that there is hope."
He acknowledged the global challenges and the strain on international aid but stressed the importance of meeting the current needs in Haiti.
Conille also underscored the potential consequences of failing to meet the mission's funding requirements, stating that the expectations might be shattered.
"The arrival of the Kenyans has created expectations, and we need to meet this expectation, or the whole system crumbles, including the credibility of the transitional government," he said.
The international partners supporting Haiti's security sector on August 8 held a joint forum at Montana Hotel where Conille was the chief guest.
The Canadian ambassador to Haiti chaired the meeting Andre Francois Giroux who pointed out it had come at a crucial time where all international actors needed to read through the same script.
He pointed out the MSS mission was critical to Haiti hence the need for all the actors to ensure that they fully supported it
Those in attendance included US ambassador to Haiti Dennis Bruce Hankins and Maria Isabel Salvador (BINUH) senior representatives from Bahamas, EU, Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Chile, Swiss and UN agencies.
The mission in Haiti is funded by the United States of America government among other donors.
Conille passionately appealed to international partners to support Haiti especially the Haitian National Police (HNP) who despite their numbers, lacked resources and weapons.
He called for quick intervention as the country was preparing for the next general elections next year.
“There is therefore need to guarantee security as it is the key to free and fair elections,” he said.
The Director General Haitian National Police (HNP) Normil Rameu pressed on the international partners to equip and support the HNP.
He noted with great concern that pressure was building from all fronts with locals expecting to see immediate results, especially after the arrival of the Kenyan contingent for the MSSM.
MSS Force Commander Godfrey Otunge gave a presentation where he requested for speedy and timely delivery of more equipment to support the mission as well as for the HNP to boost their operations and efficiency.
He pointed out that despite the mission being at the Pre-Deployment stage, he was committed to use whatever resources available to support HNP in dealing with the gangs.
“This has seen constant night and day patrols conducted jointly by MSS and HNP.”
He reiterated that this would go on and ensure that all the critical government infrastructures that the gangs had taken over are all recovered.
He promised to remain committed to the Haitian people whose only demand is to see peace return to their country where they can do their businesses un-interpreted by the gangs.
Otunge expressed his gratitude for the UN support and hailed the USG visit since this was proof of commitment. He appreciated the equipment and weapons that has been delivered during the pre-deployment period, with more expected.
Kenyan police are in Haiti to help the local officials stabilise peace by stopping gangs that had almost overrun the capital.
The team is supposed to among others man the port, the main airport, the presidential palace, the main hospitals and the main highways.
Apart from Kenya, other countries that have pledged to send officers to Haiti include Benin, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Algeria, Canada and France.
Kenya police in Haiti are undergoing linguistic and intercultural training classes to enhance their operations in the Caribbean nation.