US Turns Down Request to Send Police to Haiti, Urges Kenya to Speed up Deployment
The administration of President Joe Biden in the United States has turned down proposals to deploy American troops to Haiti as part of the peacekeeping mission led by Kenya.
According to a National Security official interviewed by McClatchy on Monday, March 4, the United States is swiftly coordinating various forms of support, including assistance from the global community, to help the Caribbean nation.
In the wake of Haiti’s declaration of a state of emergency, John Kirby, the White House National Security Communications Advisor, underscored the White House’s efforts to accelerate the dispatch of Kenyan police officers.
“Through the weekend, senior US government officials remained in close contact with senior Haitian government officials and members of the international community to help stabilize the situation and to move quickly toward an enduring political solution,” Kirby remarked.
He underscored the collaboration between the United States and global allies in providing prompt assistance to Haiti.
Despite appeals from Haitian authorities, the choice not to dispatch American troops to the Caribbean nation was finalized. Haitian officials contended that the delay in Kenya’s deployment had exacerbated the disorder, prompting them to urgently request the emergency deployment of US special forces.
Haitian diplomats expressed these concerns over a 72-hour communication period with their counterparts in the United States.
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The United States, along with other nations worldwide, supports the dispatch of 1,000 Kenyan police officers, as well as personnel from diverse nations, to confront the extensive violence in Haiti.
The Biden administration had promised to back the mission with an allocation of Ksh28.7 billion (USD200 million). Nevertheless, this funding encountered resistance from Republican legislators in Congress.
In the interim, Kenya, along with three other countries—Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Antigua and Barbuda—is preparing to send officers to the conflict-ridden nation. Additionally, Benin committed last week to dispatching 2,000 troops for the mission.
The High Court deemed Kenya’s deployment unconstitutional and subsequently blocked it in January.
In defiance of the current administration led by President William Ruto, he committed to dispatching the officers following discussions with Haitian authorities. On March 1, Friday, Ruto and Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry formalized an agreement to send the police officers.
“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.
US Turns Down Request to Send Police to Haiti, Urges Kenya to Speed up Deployment