As part of an international mission supported by the United Nations, Kenya and Haiti signed an agreement on Friday, March 1, to send a thousand Kenyan police officers to the island, which has been plagued by insecurity.
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti has been facing a severe political, security, and humanitarian crisis. Armed gangs have seized control of large parts of the country, and the number of homicides more than doubled in 2023. The situation remains tense. On Thursday, February 29, 2024, four police officers were killed and five were injured in exchanges of fire with gangs in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
Heavy gunfire was heard in several neighborhoods of the Port-au-Prince area, with security forces attempting to repel the attackers who targeted police stations, the police academy, and other strategic sites such as the Toussaint-Louverture International Airport.
Haitian authorities are calling for foreign security reinforcements to deal with this situation. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry was on a trip on Friday, March 1, to Nairobi where he signed an agreement with his Kenyan counterpart to send a thousand police officers to assist the island's law enforcement in restoring order.
"I take this opportunity to reiterate Kenya's commitment to contribute to the success of this multinational mission. We believe it is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for the world as a whole," said President Ruto.
Responding to increasingly urgent calls from the Haitian government and the UN, Kenya had agreed in July 2023 to lead this force of 2,500 to 2,600 men, expected "in the first quarter of 2024," according to the UN's Deputy Special Representative in Haiti.
The UN had given the green light in October to this force, also supported by the United States.
By the end of February, five countries, including Benin with over 1,500 men, had notified the UN of their participation in the future mission. The other members of this mission are the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad, said UN Secretary-General's spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
In power since 2021, Ariel Henry was supposed to leave office in early February. In the latest news, the Haitian Prime Minister stated that elections would be held "as soon as possible," without providing further details.
In addition to the security problem, Haiti is facing one of the most serious food crises in the world. The UN launched an appeal on Tuesday for $674 million in donations to assist the country.
