UNITED Nations chief Antonio Guterres has called for the immediate deployment of a special armed force to Haiti to staunch spiralling insecurity.

In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council on Saturday and seen by AFP, Guterres urged member states to deploy a “rapid action force” to the Caribbean nation to tackle “a dramatic deterioration in security.”

The letter came a day after Haiti said it had formally sought international assistance with a worsening security situation that the national police were unable to overcome.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is facing an acute political, economic, security and health crisis, which has paralysed the country and sparked a breakdown of law and order.

In his letter, Guterres underlined a need to restore security to ensure access to supplies and services, to safeguard transport infrastructure and oil terminals and to tackle rampant gang violence.

“Addressing these objectives is imperative for the country to halt its spiralling instability,” he said.

He urged the establishment of a force made up of special armed forces personnel from member states, with the efforts led by one member state.

He reiterated the call in a public statement yesterday, in which he said he “remains gravely concerned about the situation in Haiti,” where already dire humanitarian conditions risk being exacerbated by a cholera outbreak.

On Thursday, the UN warned of a possible explosion of cholera cases in the country. – AFP, October 10, 2022.