Brazil's Lula joins growing chorus of calls to overhaul Haiti security mission
BRASILIA, June 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday became the latest world leader to call for a stronger security force in Haiti, as the underfunded, poorly manned U.N.-backed mission has failed to make headway against the nation's spiraling gang crisis.
A record 1.3 million people have been displaced from Haiti in the past six months as armed violence surges, according to U.N. data. Experts say the security mission on the ground there, led by Kenya with support from the U.N., is not enough.
Lula, meeting with Caribbean leaders in capital Brasilia, called for the U.N. to finance the mission under its current structure or to convert it into an official peacekeeping mission.
"Stabilizing the security situation is essential to take the next step in the political process and hold presidential elections," Lula said.
Brazil led a peacekeeping mission to Haiti from 2004 to 2017, though it was marred by a deadly cholera outbreak and allegations of human rights abuses which have left many Haitians wary of an official force.
At the moment, the U.N. manages the funds for the Haitian mission, which come from voluntary donations by countries. Many have pledged funds which have yet to arrive.
A transition to a formal peacekeeping mission, which would ensure stable funding, would need to be approved by the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. had previously backed the move, though Russia and China, which hold veto powers, were against it.
Other world leaders, including France, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, have called for increased support in recent months.
France, which colonized Haiti, in April said it was "time to move on" to a peacekeeping mission. Dominican President Luis Abinader, in a letter signed by other former presidents, asked the U.N. earlier this month to consider a hybrid mission to provide logistics and operational support.
"Without urgent and effective strengthening of the (mission), there is a real risk that Haiti will be completely dominated by (gangs)... and become a regional hub for drug trafficking, terrorism and other transnational crimes," they wrote.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, following a previous suggestion from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, last week asked the Organization of American States to deploy troops to Haiti.
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