Haiti: Mr. Antonio Guterres has arrived in Haiti on his first visit as UN secretary-general in a bid to shine a spotlight on the Caribbean nation’s worsening plight and request a multinational force to stabilise the country.

“I’m in Port-au-Prince to express my full solidarity with the Haitian people and call on the international community to continue to stand with Haiti, including with a robust international force to assist the Haitian National Police,” Mr. Guterres posted on Twitter a few minutes after his arrival.

Mr. Ricard Pierre, Haiti’s minister of planning and external cooperation, warned the country could descend into civil war if an international security contingent is not deployed soon.

The United Nations and Henry have repeatedly made the case for a “rapid action force” to support security services in Haiti, which has not held national elections since 2016. But nine months after Guterres first asked the Security Council for such a force, no country has been willing to step forward to lead one, fearing high risks and uncertain success.

Canada and Brazil have both been heavily involved in discussions, and several Caribbean nations have backed a multinational force.

President Mr. Joe Biden has made it clear that the United States, which has a long history of intervention in Haiti, will not lead a force and instead wants to focus on bolstering the fledgling national police.

According to the UN refugee agency, some 73,500 people fled Haiti last year. The United Nations has said 5.2 million people, nearly half of Haiti’s population, will need humanitarian assistance in 2023.

It has appealed for $720 million to deliver aid this year, but so far it is only 23 percent funded.

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