Police Deployment in Haiti by Kenya Strengthens Security-Ruto Urges International Support

While visiting Haiti last Saturday, Kenyan President William Ruto praised the great progress in the security build-up on the island nation since 382 specially trained Kenyan police officers were deployed. The forces are part of the Multinational Security Support mission authorized by the United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 2699.

President Ruto spoke Thursday at the 79th annual UN General Assembly in appeal for support of the mission by the international community while insisting Kenya was taking the lead in a coalition against the marauding gangs that have terrorized Haiti.

“Our support for the Haitian National Police has considerably promoted the pacification of cities and towns, secured critical infrastructure, and relieved many communities hitherto held captive by criminal gangs,” Ruto observed. He further declared intentions of deploying more police personnel as part of a 2,500-member multinational force, with Kenya having already committed 1,000 officers.

With these moves, Haiti still struggles to raise money for the mission. Some have reconsidered their positions after the initial commitments, while others are distracted by other global conflicts. The U.S. now works to transform the Kenya-led mission into a UN peacekeeping operation that would guarantee automatic funding under the UN system.

A senior US diplomat said Washington was seeking backing from the UN Security Council to transform the security mission into a blue helmet operation, which would open the door to steady financing for Haiti. The US also is likely to announce more than $40 million in additional funding for Haiti on top of the $360 million already pledged for the police mission.

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Haiti clings to a crisis of violence that, so far, has taken the lives of more than 8,000 people since 2022. A lack of a secure national government and presidency allowed gangs to operate in neighborhoods, establish roadblocks, and abduct and kill civilians. According to estimates by the UN, about 200,000 people have been displaced between March and May this year due to the growing violence.