Three persons with knowledge of the negotiations informed NatSec Daily that Kenya is anticipated to start sending troops to Haiti in late May and that a base built by the United States will not be prepared for them.
The U.S. believes that some of the Kenyan forces that were guaranteed to help secure the troubled nation and put an end to violent gangs will begin deploying by May 23, according to Jake Johnston, an analyst at the Center for Economic and Policy Research who frequently speaks with lawmakers and government officials.
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This is because Haiti now has a transitional government in place. Two more individuals who want to remain anonymous to talk about private conversations verified the deployment date.
That would fall on the same day when President William Ruto of Kenya visits Washington. The deployment would probably be hailed as a significant victory for the two countries’ relationship: Since the U.S.-backed plan provides no information on how the security forces would prevail in their fight, the operation has been put on hold for months owing to legal disputes in Kenya and Republican senators who are refusing to provide funding for the deployment.
Johnston added to reporters that just about 200 people are anticipated, making it a rather small gathering. It’s also quite doubtful that such a large force will be able to stop the vicious gangs wreaking devastation on Haiti.
It’s also possible that the initial soldiers arriving in Haiti won’t know where to go. According to Johnston and the others, the Defense Department has not completed building a facility in Haiti that would accommodate the security soldiers.
According to Johnston, the Pentagon promised to construct a base and medical center, “but that has yet to happen. “
“Without the infrastructure, it’s unclear how any sort of larger-scale deployment would be feasible.”
Where Kenyan soldiers could be stationed elsewhere is unknown. An inquiry for a response was not answered by the State Department, the Defense Department, or the National Security Council.
A strategy that would satisfy Haitians who do not want foreign forces to add to the current bloodshed has proven difficult for Washington to come up with because of the complex history of U.S. participation in the nation. The goal is to stabilize Haiti and enable free and fair elections to be held.
The fact that the U.S.-backed plan doesn’t state clearly that Kenyan or Beninese troops can use force to subdue the gangs if necessary is one of its key criticisms. Nevertheless, according to the State Department, this is to be expected.
An anonymous U.N. official discussing the administration’s views told reporters, “That is not actively planned.”
“But they do have the mandate to do so, should they need it … to both protect themselves, but more importantly, to protect civilians.”
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According to a group of attorneys, President Joe Biden should stop providing military support to Israel because of its actions in Gaza, which they claim violate international humanitarian law as well as American law, as our own Joseph Gedeon uncovers.
The attorneys, who number at least twenty and are employed by the Biden administration, want to submit a letter in the coming days outlining their position to Attorney General Merrick Garland and general counsels throughout the administration. The attorneys argue in the letter that Israel most certainly broke many US laws, such as the Leahy Laws and the Arms Export Control Act, in addition to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid disproportionate strikes against civilian populations.
Over ninety attorneys have signed the letter thus far, and it is currently seeking signatures. The discord occurs at a crucial juncture: The letter might make it more difficult for the United States to demonstrate that Israel’s military activities using weapons that it has received from the United States comply with international or U.S. law. The White House has until May 8 to certify to Congress that it has not. Three Israeli officials told reporters that Israel is amenable to an agreement in which Hamas releases 33 captives during the first phase of a truce—fewer than it had previously sought.
Israel has been demanding for months that the extremist organization free the forty captives, who were women, the elderly, and very sick. One of the officials stated that Israel believed some of the forty captives had died, which is one reason for the change in the number.
It’s the clearest sign yet that a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas may be approaching. Speaking with Saudi Arabian officials today over the possible agreement, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Hamas to accept Israel’s “extraordinarily generous” offer. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Joe Biden had a nearly hour-long phone conversation the day before the event took place.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry recently expressed his optimism over the most recent proposal, “The proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides … we are waiting to have a final decision.”
According to recent reports, Israel fears that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, which is why the United States and its allies are worried that the pact might get complex.
In addition, negotiators are hoping for a settlement to be reached before an Israeli invasion of Rafah, the southern Gaza city where 1.4 million Palestinians are seeking refuge. That became even more urgent today when at least 25 Palestinians in the city were murdered by Israeli bombings on three residences.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States last year, an assassination attempt on a well-known Sikh activist and Modi opponent was carried out on Indian territory, according to reports.
The scheme was hatched just a few days after a previous, successful attempt to assassinate a Canadian-based Sikh separatist leader, which led to a serious diplomatic spat over the Modi government’s participation. It also happened during the Indian leader’s glitzy state visit, which was hosted by the White House that week. Washington has sought to strengthen its relationship with India because it views the country as an important Asian ally that can offset China’s growing economic and military clout.
Amidst a growing Russian advance in the area, Ukraine withdrew from three settlements in the Donetsk region, raising new questions about when and how fast Western military aid may arrive.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced today that limited shipments of US weaponry have started, but he asked Washington to act more quickly: “Timely support for our army today, I don’t see anything positive on this point yet. There are supplies, they have slightly begun, this process needs to be sped up,” he stated.
According to Veronika Melkozerova, the head of the Ukrainian army, Alexander Syrskyi, recently declared that Kyiv’s forces had “moved to new frontiers west of Berdychi, Semenivka, and Novomykhailivka to preserve the lives and health of our troops.” In response to the better-equipped Russian soldiers, Syrskyi emphasized Ukraine’s diminishing supply.
Speaking with Zelenskyy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the organization’s members had fallen short of their commitments to aid Ukraine, highlighting the lack of ammunition. “But now I’m confident that things will change,” Stoltenberg stated.
