Police depart for peacekeeping mission in Haiti
A contingent of Kenyan police has departed for a peace keeping mission in Haiti to combat the influence of powerful criminal gangs that have brought turmoil and violence to the Caribbean nation.
President William Ruto held a ceremony on Monday, wishing the best of luck to the 400 officers who will arrive in Haiti later this week in a United Nations-backed initiative, the first contingent out of 1,000 police that Kenya expects to send.
“This mission is one of the most urgent, important and historic in the history of global solidarity,” President Ruto stated.
“It is a mission to affirm the universal values of the community of nations, a mission to take a stand for humanity.” The Head of State added.
Kenya and the United States have welcomed the effort after months of debate on how to address the skyrocketing violence in Haiti, where gangs have widened their influence, gained control over large swathes of territory and brought violence and anarchy to the lives of civilians.
International community call
Various nations including the US and Canada have called for an international police mission, but have been hesitant to commit their own troops to a role in such an effort. A UN official said in March that at least 5,000 foreign police officers would be needed to help tackle gang violence in Haiti, far more than the total of 1,000 Kenyan police set to be deployed to the Carribean nation.
President Joe Biden’s administration pledged $300m in support during a recent visit by President Ruto to the US, but said that the involvement of US troops could create “all kinds of questions that can easily be misrepresented.”
There has been a long record of disastrous foreign interventions in Haiti, the first country in the world to successfully win independence through a slave rebellion in 1804, fuelling concerns that the initiative could incite further instability.