U.N. Approves Foreign Intervention in Haiti

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at foreign intervention in Haiti, press freedom crackdowns in India, and Armenia’s new ICC membership.

Nearly a year after Haitian leaders first asked for foreign intervention, the United Nations is finally heeding their calls. On Monday, the U.N. Security Council approved sending a Kenya-led armed multinational force to Port-au-Prince to combat deadly gang violence. “More than just a simple vote, this is in fact an expression of solidarity with a population in distress,” Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Généus said. “It’s a glimmer of hope for the people who have been suffering for too long.”

As part of a 12-month mandate, Kenya will send 1,000 police officers to the island to strengthen local security as well as Haiti’s national police. Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica also promised to assist Kenya’s intervention, and the United States pledged up to $200 million in aid. According to Kenyan officials, foreign forces, which will be under Kenyan and not U.N. control, could deploy within two to three months. “This mandate is not only about peace and security but also about the rebuilding of Haiti—its politics, its economic development and social stability,” Kenyan Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said.

Around 90 percent of Haiti’s capital is controlled by warring gangs. More than 3,000 people have been killed and over 1,500 residents have been kidnapped since Jan. 1. And roughly 200,000 others have fled their homes to escape mass violence, with neighboring Dominican Republic closing its borders last month to prevent gang violence from spilling into its territory. The U.N. Security Council has called on foreign actors to stop selling arms to Haiti.

But not everyone is enthusiastic about sending foreign forces. Both China and Russia abstained from the Security Council vote, with Beijing’s U.N. ambassador arguing that “without a legitimate, effective, and responsible government in place, any external support can hardly have any lasting effects.” Caretaker Prime Minister Ariel Henry has been in power since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in 2021 and has refused to hold long-anticipated elections until the nation’s security improves.

Human rights activists have also criticized Kenya’s involvement, as its own police have been accused of torture and using deadly force against its civilians. And locals worry that foreign intervention could once again have devastating consequences. A U.N. mission to Haiti established in 2004 introduced cholera to the island, killing nearly 10,000 people, and foreign forces were accused of committing sexual abuses against Haitian citizens.

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Press crackdown. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is once again cracking down on free press. On Tuesday, police in New Delhi raided the homes and offices of journalists working at NewsClick, a left-leaning outlet known for criticizing Modi’s government. The raids were conducted under India’s anti-terrorism law after New Delhi accused NewsClick of receiving funding from China.

Beijing and New Delhi have had tense relations for years, due in part to a contested border between the two countries that has seen clashes in the past. And while China continues to tout an anti-U.S. foreign policy, India is struggling to maintain friendly ties with the West, as the United States remains its top export partner.

But not every Western country is on best friend status with India. On Tuesday, it was reported that India had ordered Canada to remove 41 diplomats from its embassy in New Delhi. This signals the latest deterioration of relations between the two nations following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing India-backed agents of assassinating a Sikh leader living in British Columbia. The two countries have already removed their respective ambassadors.

Welcome to the ICC. Armenia strengthened its Western ties on Tuesday when it voted to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to top Armenian officials, the move was in response to Azerbaijan’s aggression in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. However, it has complicated Armenia’s relationship with Russia, a longtime ally of Yerevan and the primary peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia is not party to the ICC and has repeatedly denounced its arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, who is charged with the war crime of forcibly transferring Ukrainian children. ICC member states are required to arrest Putin if the Russian leader enters their territory. Armenia, though, promised not to arrest Putin if he traveled to Yerevan after Moscow warned of “serious consequences” for ratifying the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding document.

Algeria, the mediator. Nigerien forces accepted Algeria’s offer to negotiate a peace deal on Monday, more than one month after Algiers first proposed a six-month transition process. The peace agreement would institute a civilian-led government and restore constitutional order to the nation, which experienced a coup in July. Niger’s junta leaders had originally suggested a three-year transition process.

Since a military junta deposed then-President Mohamed Bazoum, Algiers has warned against foreign intervention, particularly after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Nigeria, threatened direct involvement if Bazoum was not reinstated. ECOWAS officials said they would deploy troops to Niger if Algeria’s diplomatic efforts fail.

A brown hunting dog decided to live out its “fast and the furriest” moment when a speed camera in the Slovakian village of Sterusy on Friday caught the pooch behind the wheel. According to the car’s owner, the eager pup had jumped onto his lap when the photo was taken; however, no such movement was detected by Slovakian police. Mail carriers in Slovakia don’t stand a chance now.