The situation on the ground in Haiti has been described as "catastrophic" as roaming armed gangs, loosely organized by gang leaders, target government buildings and airports in an attempt to seize control.
The Biden administration's response has reportedly been completely ineffectual and the White House is rushing to prevent a total societal collapse in the island nation.
Currently, the fear is that the Haitian National Police, severely outmanned and outgunned, could fall apart as the armed gangs continue to wage war. The violent gangs, which have already killed indiscriminately, are made up largely of violent former prison inmates.
U.S. officials are worried that a "long-planned" multinational backup mission, led by Kenya, could be too late to the party to save the country.
Notably, one U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, provided a grave assessment of the situation, noting that the gangs are dangerously close to taking over the country as it stands.
"The government could fall at any time,” the anonymous U.S. official told McClatchy. "If the HNP dissolves as an effective counterforce, if we see the airport or the presidential palace fall, it’s over."
The Leader-Telegram noted:
The Biden administration is moving urgently to expedite the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission, or MSS, that has been in the works for over a year and a half. Kenya has pledged to lead the mission and committed 1,000 police officers to the effort last fall.
However, observers have warned that the numbers involved in the reinforcements being sent are far less than what's needed to fend off the violent armed gangs successfully. Sending 1,000 extra soldiers is several orders of magnitude less than what would be needed at this point to quell the violence, according to the unidentified U.S. official.
"The situation in Port-au-Prince remains extremely fragile as sporadic attacks have continued and all flights in and out of Haiti remain canceled,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "The Secretary-General reiterates the need for urgent action, including financing for the Multinational Security Support mission, to tackle the security needs of the people of Haiti."
That being said, the U.S. has already ruled out committing U.S. forces to Haiti at this time.
Not only will the forces likely arrive too late, but even if they do show up, it's unclear whether they'll guard key positions while Haitian National Police officers battle the gangs in the streets, or if the Kenyan forces will fight alongside them.
There are a number of other logistical challenges, including language barriers and concerns about supplies and available medical treatments for the wounded.
The UN indicated that five other countries have committed to sending forces, but the U.S. official said that it's simply taking too long for the plan to unfold and for forces to arrive.
Behind the scenes, it was reported that the Biden administration had been "seized with this issue" over the past several days as growing fears of a total collapse grow. Only time will tell if it becomes a political nightmare for Biden and the White House. It's looking that way.
