Kenyan-led Haiti Mission in Pre-Deployment Stage – Minister

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Kenya has maintained that its plans to deploy hundreds of police officers to Haiti will go on as planned, despite the escalating gang violence in the Caribbean country.

Kenya’s Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki on Monday stated that the plan to deploy 1000 police officers to Haiti was in the pre-deployment stage.

Mr Kindiki also said that laws and enforcement measures, like detention and arrests, have been finalized adding that the Kenyan government has addressed all issues raised in court that had blocked the deployment.

“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.

However, the exact date on which the officers will leave the country remains unknown.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has resigned following weeks of mounting chaos by gangs demanding for his removal.

Mr Henry had been in Kenya to sign a deal on the deployment of an international security force to help tackle violence when a coalition of gangs attacked police stations and stormed two of Haiti’s largest prisons.

A plane carrying Mr Henry was stopped from landing following sustained attacks at Haiti’s international airport.