THE UN Security Council vote yesterday to send a multinational armed force to Haiti brings with it the very real prospect that Bahamian officers could be deployed in a dangerous situation by early next year.

The force is to be led by Kenya, which has previously proposed sending 1,000 police officers to Haiti. Yesterday, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Alfred Mutua, said that a number of officers are being taught French in anticipation of a deployment.

The Bahamas has previous committed to sending 150 officers as part of that multi-national force – pending the approval of yesterday’s vote. That offer was welcomed by the US Embassy back in August.

The multinational force would support the current Haitian police force – but that is far from a robust unit.

The number of Haitian police is around 10,000 – that is active officers – to handle a country of more than 11 million people which has seen gangs seize control of large sections of the nation.

There have been numerous deaths among the police force too – Haitian human rights group RNDDH said at the start of the year that since Prime Minister Ariel Henry took power there had been around five police officers killed each month. The group estimated that from January to June this year alone, 29 police officers lost their lives.

It is a volatile situation to say the least.

Crucially, what remains unclear is the outcome that is being pursued by this intervention. The Russian Federation’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said yesterday that multiple requests for details, including the use of force and when officers would be withdrawn, “went unanswered”.

The Chinese ambassador to the UN, Zhang Jun, said he hoped there would be in-depth consultations with Haitian officials on the deployment while opposing the resolution.

What is challenging with that is that Haiti has no elected officials – terms have expired and the country is in desperate need of an election.

Our own former Prime Minister, Perry Christie, has been part of a group exploring discussions with Haitian leaders – but which leaders have authority to speak for the nation is an open question.

There has been resistance within Haiti to foreign intervention too – after all, a previous UN mission to the country led to the introduction of cholera to the nation, which killed nearly 10,000 people.

Concerns have been raised too about Kenya leading the effort, with a number of claims of torture, deadly force and abuse by Kenyan police.

Against all this, one thing is clear – simply ignoring the situation in Haiti is not an option either. The instability can affect the whole region, but more than that, these are our neighbours, and if we can help, we should.

Whether that means boots on the ground is another matter. We do not imagine there is widespread public support for such a move – and what support there is will be tested mightily if there are any Bahamian casualties.

If we are to commit to troops in Haiti, we need a clearly outlined mission. How long will troops be there? What is their role in Haiti? Will they be involved in potential armed confrontations with gangs? What is the exit strategy?

The Prime Minister should speak directly to those questions if we are to send Bahamians to action in Haiti – and he should do so at the first opportunity in the new session of the House.