Hundreds of people displaced by violence from armed gangs in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, try to return to their homes on August 26 after gang leader Jimmy Cherisier, alias Barbecue, announced that residents could come back after his order for his "soldiers" to withdraw from certain areas. Photo by David Lorens/EPA
Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader sent letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, asking them to support the Multinational Security Support Mission for Haiti that was authorized by the U.N. Security Council.
The mission, approved Tuesday, aims to address the humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti and calls for a new "suppression force" to confront the gangs controlling the country.
The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Panama, passed with 12 votes in favor. China, Russia and Pakistan abstained, citing concerns about the clarity of the mandate and accountability.
According to Dominican media, Abinader warned in letters sent Wednesday that "the humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti continues to deepen" and that violence "keeps spilling over its borders, directly affecting the national security of the Dominican Republic, with serious implications for peace in the region."
