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Kenyan President William Ruto welcomed the U.N. Security Council’s resolution to send a Kenya-led multinational armed force to Haiti to help combat violent gangs there
Kenyan President William Ruto welcomed the U.N. Security Council’s resolution to send a Kenya-led multinational armed force to Haiti to help combat violent gangs there. Haiti has only a limited force to address its security problems emanating mainly from its organized gangs. Ruto said that Kenya would not fail the people of Haiti. It is the first time in almost 20 years that an external force would be deployed in the troubled Caribbean nation.
Ruto said the Kenya-led force would provide a different footprint in the history of international interventions in Haiti. The resolution, drafted by the United States and Ecuador, authorized the force to deploy for one year, with a review after nine months. The non-U.N. mission would be funded by voluntary contributions, with the U.S. pledging up to US$200 million to ensure security.
How big the force would be is still not clear. Kenya’s government had earlier proposed 1,000 police officers. Ruto did not specify when they would be deployed. Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said earlier that it would happen within a short time. Kenya was waiting for the vote at the Security Council. Kenyan officers were taking French lessons to bridge the language barrier between Kenyans and Haitians.
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Kenya offered to lead the Haiti mission, citing its history in global peacekeeping missions, as well as ties between Africa and Haiti, where most of the population is of African descent. The vote at the U.N. Security Council came nearly a year after Haiti’s government requested help to quell a surge in gang violence. Haiti has only about 10,000 active officers in a country of more than 11 million people. There are also reports about large-scale corruption that such outside forces can carry out in the host country. The UN is vigilant about such charges. That is why a review of the effect of the deployment of police from Kenya will be undertaken after nine months.
