NAIROBI: Kenyan forces will leave for Haiti on June 25 to lead an UN-backed mission aimed at addressing gang violence in the Caribbean country.
The deployment, initially delayed by legal disputes in Kenya, involves about 1,000 police officers who will work alongside personnel from multiple other nations to stabilize Haiti, as authorized by a UN Security Council resolution last October.
President William Ruto has strongly supported the mission, announcing earlier this month that preparations for deployment were nearing completion.
“Preparations are underway for the team to depart on Tuesday. We’ve already sent two advance teams—one last week and another yesterday,” a senior police official stated.
Despite a Kenyan court’s earlier injunction questioning the government’s authority to deploy police abroad without specific agreements, a formal authorization was secured on March 1. However, a recent lawsuit filed by a minor opposition party seeks to block the deployment.
Other nations joining the mission include Benin, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad, signaling broad international participation.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have expressed concerns over the mission’s funding and the track record of Kenyan police, citing allegations of excessive force and unlawful killings.
Recently, Kenya’s police watchdog launched an investigation into claims that officers fatally shot a 29-year-old man during protests in Nairobi against proposed tax increases last Friday.
