Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry issued an urgent call last October for “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient numbers” to stop the gangs. Since then, Guterres has been unsuccessfully calling for a country to lead efforts to help restore order to Latin America’s poorest nation.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday that its offer includes a commitment to send 1,000 police officers to help train and assist the Haitian National Police to “restore normality in the country and protect strategic facilities.” The agency’s statement was in response to a request from the Friends of Haiti group of nations.
“Kenya stands with people of African descent throughout the world, including those in the Caribbean, and adheres to the African Union’s diaspora policy and our own commitment to pan-Africanism,” the ministry said.
Gangs in Haiti have grown more powerful since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7, 2021, and it is estimated that they now control up to 80% of the capital. The increase in murders, rapes and kidnappings has resulted in the rise of armed civilian self-defense groups.
Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Guterres “receives the positive response to his call with open arms” and expresses his gratitude to Kenya for its “solidarity.”
Guterres calls on the United Nations Security Council to support a multinational operation unrelated to the UN in Haiti “and encourages member states, especially those in the region, to join forces with Kenya” in support of the country police, Haq added.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that its deployment proposal will crystallize once the Security Council adopts a resolution giving it authority to the force, and constitutional processes take place in Kenya.
A Kenyan task force plans to carry out an assessment mission to Haiti in a few weeks, which will “inform and guide the mission’s mandate and operational requirements,” the agency said.
Haitian Foreign Minister Jean Victor Généus said that “Haiti appreciates this expression of African solidarity, and looks forward to welcoming the assessment mission proposed by Kenya in the coming weeks.”
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Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
