Several Kenyan Police Opt Out of The Haiti Deployment Deal
A certain, unspecified group of Kenyan police officers have chosen not to participate in the deployment mission after the agreement with Haiti to send 1000 officers to help address the gang-related issues.
According to the BBC’s coverage on March 7, the officers expressed apprehensions regarding their safety due to the continuous gang operations in the Caribbean nation.
Many Kenyan police officers who initially volunteered for the mission have chosen not to participate due to concerns about their safety.
During a conversation with the broadcasting corporation, a certain officer emphasized the absence of clear guidance on the execution plans for the mission, expressing doubt about the established mechanisms.
Referring to the recent surge in gang-related incidents in Haiti, another officer mentioned that he and his team decided to pull out from the assignment, emphasizing that it wasn’t an obligatory deployment.
He additionally mentioned that the team was invited to voluntarily apply to the mission, aiming to contribute to the restoration of peace in Haiti as a part of their commitment to serving humanity.
The situation escalated in Haiti on March 3, as a notorious gang leader named Barbecue carried out attacks on the country’s main airport. Barbecue explicitly declared his intention to impede Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s reentry into the nation, further fueling the unrest.
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Exploiting Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s absence, the gangs in Port-au-Prince carried out a sequence of synchronized assaults, causing an increase in the number of displaced individuals desperately seeking refuge.
Henry arrived in Kenya on February 29 and finalized the deployment agreement with President William Ruto on March 1. The agreement was signed by Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kithure Kindiki and Haiti’s security minister.
President William Ruto justified his choice to send troops to the troubled nation by emphasizing the historical ties between the two countries.
“We are offering the experience and expertise of our police officers in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti as mandated by the United Nations Security Council and as guided by our courts,” Ruto stated.
Regrettably, on March 5, the United States declined the proposal to deploy its troops to Haiti as part of the peacekeeping mission led by Kenya. Instead, they committed to rallying all available support, including assistance from the global community, to aid the Caribbean nation.
Several Kenyan Police Opt Out of The Haiti Deployment Deal