US Foreign Minister And UN Secretary General Discuss Security Haiti And Somalia Including Prisoners In Yemen

Illustration - United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Unsplash-Jonathan Ansel Moy de Vitry)

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed common concerns regarding security in Haiti and Somalia, as well as prisoners detained by the Houthis in Yemen.

According to a US State Department statement, in a phone call last Friday -- quoted from Anadolu -- Blinken highlighted the progress achieved by the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.

The US official also discussed "an important value in fulfilling the Haitian government's request to turn MSS into a UN peacekeeping operation, which will provide ongoing security support for the Haitian people."

Haiti has faced a wave of gang violence in recent years, exacerbated by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021.

The two leaders also discussed funding options for the African Union's Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and measures to ensure the release of all UN staff, diplomats, and non-governmental organizations detained by the Houthis in Yemen.

On June 6, six UN human rights staff, including one woman and five men, were arrested along with seven other UN personnel, according to the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Somalia is known for its years-long series of terrorist attacks, mainly by al-Shabaab, a group linked to al-Qaeda.

Blinken expressed his gratitude to Guterres for his leadership and collaborative efforts in facing this challenge.