Kenyan President William Ruto gives a ceremonial farewell to 400 soldiers who will leave on a UN-supported mission.
A contingent of Kenyan police officers will leave for a controversial mission in Haiti to combat the influence of powerful criminal groups that have brought turmoil and violence to the Caribbean nation.
Kenyan President William Ruto held a ceremony on Monday, wishing luck to the 400 officers who will arrive in Haiti later this week, in an initiative supported by the United Nations, the first contingent of the 1,000 police officers that Kenya hopes to send.
“This mission is one of the most urgent, important and historic in the history of global solidarity,” Ruto told officers in quotes shared by his office.
“It is a mission to affirm the universal values of the community of nations, a mission to defend humanity.”
Kenya has strong credentials in global peacemaking and conflict resolution. The presence of our law enforcement officers in Haiti will provide relief to the men, women and children whose lives have been destroyed by gang violence. We will work with the international community to bring… pic.twitter.com/Org9RWzViV
– William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) June 24, 2024
Ruto and the United States welcomed the effort after months of debate over how to deal with escalating violence in Haiti, where gangs have expanded their influence, gained control over large swaths of territory and brought violence and instability into civilian lives.
“We expect to see further measurable improvements in security, particularly with regard to access to humanitarian aid and core economic activity,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Monday.
Countries such as the US and Canada have called for an international police mission, but have been hesitant to commit their own troops to play a role in that effort. A UN official said in March that at least 5,000 foreign police would be needed to help combat gang violence in Haiti, far more than the total of 1,000 Kenyan police expected to be deployed.
US President Joe Biden’s administration pledged $300 million in support during Ruto’s recent visit to the US, but said the involvement of US troops could create “all sorts of issues that can easily be misrepresented”.
There is a long history of disastrous foreign interventions in Haiti, the first country in the world to successfully gain independence through a slave rebellion in 1804, fueling concerns that the initiative could backfire or fuel further instability.
The US invaded and occupied Haiti between 1915 and 1934, overseeing a system of forced labor and widespread rights abuses.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
