'Much-needed relief': Kenyan police force arrives in Haiti for UN-backed security mission

FRANCE 24

25 June 2024 at 11:18 am·1-min read

The first wave of Kenyan police disembarked a plane at the Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti on Tuesday as part of a security mission backed – but not managed – by the UN to help restore order to the violence-wracked nation.

Kenyan police arrived in violence-ravaged Haiti on Tuesday on a long-awaited mission to help wrest the Caribbean nation from powerful gangs, just as deadly turmoil gripped Nairobi during mass protests.

Wearing camouflage uniforms, helmets and rifles, about 200 officers descended from a Kenya Airways plane on the tarmac in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. More are expected Thursday.

A total of some 2,500 personnel are anticipated, led by Kenya with contributions from a number of countries, mostly in Africa and the Caribbean, on a mission blessed but not managed by the United Nations.

US President Joe Biden, who has promised generous funding for the mission but ruled out sending American troops, hailed the arrival of the Kenyans as "beginning an effort that will bring much needed relief to Haitians."

"The people of Haiti deserve to feel safe in their homes, build better lives for their families and enjoy democratic freedoms," Biden said in a statement.

Kenyan President William Ruto had ceremonially seen the police off Monday in Nairobi, in what he described as a "historic" mission of solidarity.

But Kenya itself became engulfed in violence a day afterward, with protesters breaching parliament and a fire erupting at the governor's office.

Reuters Videos
Haitians hopeful as Kenya-led mission begins
STORY: This abandoned theater in Port-au-Prince has become a refuge for those displaced by gang violence in Haiti's capital.For those inside, like bricklayer Roman Ferre, much now depends on a U.N.-backed peacekeeping mission led by Kenyan police officers, who arrived in the Caribbean country this week."We hope they're here to sort something out, because we're really in trouble. Our houses are burnt down, our homes are set on fire and looted, that's where we are. I've been here for ten months, we're really in trouble."Haiti Prime Minister Gary Conille visited the Kenyan police base in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday (June 26).He said he believed this was the start of a new beginning for the country, and asked people to be patient and vigilant.Gang wars have now displaced over half a million people and nearly five million are facing severe food insecurity.At the abandoned theater, teacher Renzo Novanel said he wants the foreign countries intervening in Haiti to consider the plight of those who have lost their homes, as much as they think about restoring order."... Because we are victims and we want to have a solution tomorrow so that the country can get better and we can get our heads out of the situation we find ourselves in today."Kenya volunteered to lead the force last July.However, deployment was repeatedly delayed by court challenges and worsening violence in Haiti.Troops have also arrived even as deadly protests back at home prompted doubts about Kenya's ability to lead the security missionThe Kenyan police are expected to be joined by officers from some 15 other countries, including those in Africa and the Caribbean, as well as Canada, France, Germany, Britain and Spain. All together the security forces will form a 2,500-strong mission funded primarily by the United States.
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