Star Metro - Blinken in violence-torn Haiti to assess headway against gangs

Blinken, the highest-ranking US official to travel to the battered country since 2015, arrived two months after Kenya sent police officers to launch a long-awaited international force aimed at restoring order.

With the capital Port-au-Prince under a state of emergency and suffering recurring blackouts, the top US diplomat entered an armored convoy from the main airport, which recently reopened to limited commercial flights.

Blinken will meet members of a transitional council recently installed with regional support to fill a political vacuum in Haiti, which has not held elections since 2016, and acting Prime Minister Garry Connile.

The trip comes at a "crucial moment" for Haiti, said Brian Nichols, the top US diplomat for the Western Hemisphere.

Blinken "will reaffirm the United States' commitment to supporting the Haitian people and fostering a secure and peaceful Haiti," Nichols told reporters.

Blinken will also discuss ways to ensure a more consistent source of funding to the international force, known as the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS).

President Joe Biden's administration has committed $360 million to the mission, including providing logistical support and equipment, but made clear it will not risk US troops.

- Struggles to start mission -

Nichols said that the United States was willing to consider making the mission a formal UN peacekeeping operation if that is a way to bring a reliable source of money and people.

The mission is expected to include some 2,500 police officers including from Bangladesh, Benin and Jamaica.

But its establishment was repeatedly set back both by a court in Kenya questioning the legality of the mission and by struggles to complete financing for the force, which is estimated to cost some $600 million per year.

The US contribution includes dozens of armed vehicles, night-vision goggles and other equipment.

"Nonetheless, we need the rest of the international community to step forward with much more significant financial contributions so that the force can continue to operate, and that additional nations can deploy their units as part of the MSS," Nichols told reporters ahead of the trip.

While blessed by the UN Security Council, the latest intervention in Haiti was deliberately not put under the UN flag after dark memories of earlier efforts.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, which deployed from 2004 to 2017, was tarnished by accusations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers and the force's accidental introduction of cholera, which killed some 10,000 people.

Haiti, the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, has struggled for years with interlinked political, security and health crises.

Gangs in recent years have taken over some 80 percent of the capital Port-au-Prince as any semblance of government evaporated.

US officials say that the international force and the fledgling Haitian police have been able to step up patrols, bringing at least some normality.

Blinken is expected to venture through Port-au-Prince but spend much of his time in the safety of US diplomatic facilities.

The city is facing a new energy challenge after a key power plant went dark after being stormed by demonstrators angered by recurring blackouts.

Blinken will also press Haitian players to take action against corruption, a perennial concern in the country, Nichols said.

The last secretary of state to visit Haiti, John Kerry, met then president Michel Martelly in 2015.

Last month, US authorities slapped sanctions on Martelly for allegedly trafficking drugs destinated for the United States.

L.Girard--SMC