Oct 11, 2024 Story by: Editor
NAIROBI, Oct 11 (Reuters) – President William Ruto announced on Friday that Kenya plans to deploy an additional 600 police officers to Haiti next month to strengthen an international operation. This announcement came during a visit from the Haitian prime minister aimed at expediting the deployment of forces.
So far, at least 10 countries have pledged approximately 2,900 troops to the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. However, only around 430 personnel have been deployed since the U.N.-authorized operation began in June, with nearly 400 of them being Kenyan.
Heavily armed Haitians have continued to expand their control in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Last week, the Gran Grif gang executed one of the deadliest attacks in recent memory, resulting in at least 115 deaths in a farming area, as reported by a local mayor.
Ruto emphasized the mission’s positive impact on security in Haiti, asserting that the fight against gangs is “the battle that we can win.” He noted that the newly committed 600 officers are currently in training and will be ready to serve next month.
Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille, standing alongside Ruto, commended the police’s swift response to last week’s tragedy. “The police and the (Kenyan) contingent were able to deploy by road within – really, virtually – hours to make sure that the city in question was quickly protected,” Conille stated.
According to the United Nations, more than 700,000 people in Haiti have been displaced, and over five million are facing hunger—nearly half of the country’s population.
Last month, the U.N. Security Council unanimously agreed to extend the MSS’s mandate for another year. A U.S. proposal to transition it into a U.N. peacekeeping mission was excluded from the resolution following opposition from Russia and China. Source: Reuters
