We Are Now in Pre-Deployment Stage to Haiti – Kindiki
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has provided additional information about Kenya’s mission to Haiti.
Addressing the audience on Monday, Kindiki declared that all necessary legal processes had been addressed, confirming Kenya’s participation in a multinational mission to Haiti.
“Kenyan police officers will be just part of a multinational security mission in Haiti. Kenya is the lead nation but other countries have pledged to contribute troops and this came from the United Nations Security Council,” he said.
“This is part of our international obligation.”
The Chief of Staff mentioned a minor legal issue that has been settled, allowing the government to proceed with deploying officers to Haiti.
“The courts said we needed to have a reciprocal agreement with Haiti and that was signed about a week ago. We are now in the pre-deployment stage. All the other programs are in place including the status of forces agreement and other enforcement measures are now in place,” Kindiki added.
Kenya plans to send a minimum of 1,000 police officers to Haiti in the Caribbean.
Gangs have seized control of major cities and various territories across the nation.
The country has witnessed an increasing impact of gang influence following the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Approximately 200 to 300 gangs are believed to exert influence over significant portions of the nation, and around 90 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is reportedly under the control of these gangs.
In July 2023, Kenya committed to providing 1,000 police officers in response to Haiti’s plea for global assistance in addressing the escalating violence attributed to criminal gangs.
On the 13th of October 2023, the deployment of 1,000 police officers received approval from both the National Security Council and the Cabinet.
The deployment received unanimous approval from Parliament on November 16, 2023.
Prime Minister Henry visited Kenya on March 1 and observed the signing of an agreement regarding the deployment of troops.
President William Ruto witnessed the signing of the agreement.
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A squad of 1,000 law enforcement personnel is set to operate within the framework of the Multi-National Security Support Mission.
On October 2, 2023, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 2699, granting permission for the deployment of a multinational security support mission to Haiti.
Kenya accepted the responsibility of overseeing the coordination of the international mission following a request from member states.
Burundi, Chad, Senegal, Jamaica, and Belize have also pledged to send additional troops.
In the past few days, there has been a heightened demand from gang leaders for Ariel Henry to step down from his position as Prime Minister.
The latest wave of violence began after Henry visited Kenya with the gangs demanding that he not go back to the country.
He, however, proceeded but an attempt to take over the country’s airport on March 3 by the gangs seemingly aborted plans for him to land home.
Henry’s whereabouts remained unknown until when it was reported that he had flown to Puerto Rico.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday had a call conversation with President William Ruto, over the deployment of Kenyan police officers to help restore order in Haiti.
The two, during the call, reiterated their commitments to support the course that will be spearheaded by the Kenyan police.
This comes in the wake of unrest in the country even as gangs try to take charge of the country.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto to discuss the ongoing political and security crisis in Haiti,” a statement from the US State Department reads.
“They underscored unwavering commitment to the deployment of a Multinational Security Support mission to support the Haitian National Police in creating the security conditions necessary to conduct free and fair elections.”
Blinken also appreciated Kenya’s efforts to ensure there is peace and sanity in the East African region.
We Are Now in Pre-Deployment Stage to Haiti – Kindiki