Haiti Leaders Call on Biden To Withdraw Support For Kenya in Haiti Mission
A group of Haitian-American elected officials has sent a request to U.S. President Joe Biden requesting the withdrawal of U.S. support for Kenya’s peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
The officials justify their request by explaining that Kenya’s intervention in Haiti will strengthen President Ariel Henry’s hold on power.
The officials, including those affiliated with The National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON) and Family Action Network Movement (FANM), expressed their concerns in a letter to Vice President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“Any military intervention supporting Haiti’s corrupt, repressive, unelected regime will likely exacerbate its current political crisis to a catastrophic one,” they wrote.
“It will further entrench the regime, deepening Haiti’s political crisis while generating significant civilian casualties and migration pressure,” they noted in their request.
Since the assassination of former President Jovenel Mose in 2021, Haiti has been of interest due to its instability and increase in gang dominance, rendering Henry the country’s interim leader.
Additionally, the majority of Haitian and Haitian-American civil societies have exerted pressure on the Biden administration to retract its support for Henry.
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“If your Administration were to withdraw its support for Dr. Henry, he would have been forced to negotiate with Haitian civil society and other groups toward a peaceful solution to Haiti’s current political crisis,” the groups wrote.
The groups asserted that the current government has ties to the criminals terrorizing the citizens of Haiti.
They also demanded that U.S. authorities increase their efforts to prevent the transfer of weapons to Haiti.
“This regime has dismantled Haiti’s democratic structures while facilitating and conceding control of the country to many gang leaders. The PHTK governments did not run a fair or timely election,” the groups further wrote.
Advocate groups have accused Vice President Joe Biden and his administration of interfering in Haiti’s internal affairs, citing the US-funded operation in Kenya as an example.
The United States has pledged its support to Kenya, which intends to dispatch one thousand police officers to Haiti.
The United States and Kenya signed a Ksh 14.8 billion agreement on September 25, 2023, at a ceremony presided over by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Kenyan counterpart Aden Duale.
These funds will support Kenya’s security operation in Haiti.
“The United States stands ready to support that important mission by providing robust financial and logistical assistance,” said the secretary of Defense.
Haiti Leaders Call on Biden To Withdraw Support For Kenya in Haiti Mission