The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution that will send an armed multinational force to Haiti to help combat insecurities in the region. The force, which will be led by Kenyan authorities rather than by the U.N., is set to spend 12 months in Haiti, although the date of its arrival has not yet been established. Kenya has already pledged 1,000 police to the cause.

In addition to the armed multinational force, the U.N.’s resolution also includes a call to restrict the supply of arms to Haiti apart from those sent for approved security reasons, as well as the institution of specific asset freezes and certain travel bans.

Jean-Junior Joseph, an advisor to the Haitian prime minister, told reporters that the Haitian government had welcomed the U.N.’s decision. “We await with impatience the mission to combat general insecurity,” he said.

The insecurity mentioned refers largely to the nation’s gang-related violence and ensuing political stagnation. Despite some previous international help, Haitian security forces still don’t have the resources to properly control gang activity; these warring groups have seized control of much of Haiti’s capital and main port, disrupting the supply lines that feed into the rest of the country and terrorizing the general population. Roughly 200,000 people have fled their homes to avoid bouts of kidnapping, arson, killing, and rape. The rampant violence and instability have caused inflation in the country to increase to 50%, along with forcing elections to an indefinite postponement, bringing the nation to a political standstill.

Deploying an external nation’s military to any other country, “even upon its request,” Russian U.N. envoy Vassily Nebenzia said, “is an extreme measure that must be thoroughly thought through.” But Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry had long been calling for military assistance, and both the United States and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had been in support of international intervention. Although critics have brought up scandals associated with previous U.N. peacekeeping missions, including sexual abuse allegations and the introduction of a cholera epidemic which killed roughly 10,000 people, this resolution will hopefully increase the country’s security and help the police force deal with the gangs.

While there are some legitimate hesitations regarding the Kenya-led mission to Haiti, I am optimistic that the resolution will help Haiti in the long run by allowing it to get its elections back on track and overcome its political paralysis. As a step taken by the U.N. to reduce Haiti’s insecurity, the mission has the potential to help the nation tremendously.