Policy: Guterres stressed that he was not asking for a military force or a political delegation, but he called on members of the Security Council and other countries to act quickly to send a robust international force to Haiti.

Haitian authorities have been asking for such a force since October, and Guterres is looking for a country willing to lead the force.

Two obvious candidates are Canada and the United States, but both have declined. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the United States is committed to finding a country that wants it.

António Guterres visited Haiti on Saturday and told reporters that armed gangs have control over the population.

– The Haitian people are trapped in a living nightmare. The humanitarian conditions are beyond dire, he said.

UN envoy to Haiti William O’Neill, who has just completed a ten-day fact-finding trip, said between 1,000 and 2,000 police officers are needed with expertise in organized crime and the financing of this crime, as well as in kidnappings and working in cities.

(© NTB)