More Kenyan police arrive in Haiti to boost mission against gang violence

RFI
·1 min read
Kenyan police, who are part of a UN-backed multinational force, sing and dance on the tarmac after landing at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 18 January, 2025.

Kenya has deployed 217 more police officers to Haiti to provide backup to an understaffed security mission in the Caribbean country where spiralling gang violence has displaced more than a million people, including one in eight children.

The police officers were greeted by Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime on their arrival at Port-au-Prince airport on Saturday and will join the 400 Kenyan officers deployed last year.

“The arrival of these reinforcements marks a crucial step in freeing our country from the grip of criminal networks and restoring peace," the prime minister said.

Kenya began sending troops to Haiti in June as part of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) under the auspices of the United Nations.

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Some 10 countries – including Guatemala, El Salvador, Jamaica and Belize – have together pledged over 3,100 troops, but so far few have deployed.

"Our commitment to this historic mission is unwavering,” said Kenyan Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen as he shared a photo of himself with some of the officers aboard a plane.

"We will continue to mobilise all the necessary international support for it to succeed," he said in a social media post.

Haiti witness recounts gang massacre driven by witchcraft claims

Criminal gangs still rife

The MSS in Haiti denied it had received resignations.

(with newswires)


Read more on RFI English

Read also:
Kenya promises full Haiti deployment by January amid calls for UN mission
Haiti's future remains 'hanging in the balance' 15 years after earthquake
A history of violence: Haiti's revolution, collapse and descent into anarchy

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