Kenya deploys 217 more police officers to join UN mission fighting gang violence in Haiti

Kenya has deployed an additional 217 police officers to the Caribbean island nation of Haiti as part of a UN-backed multinational force to control gang violence and restore stability there.
They arrived in capital Port-au-Prince on Saturday (18 January) to join the first batch of 400 officers deployed to Haiti last year, tasked with restoring public order and strengthening law enforcement on the island nation, which has been grappling with soaring gang violence. About six months ago, the Kenya-led and UN-backed Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) set out to curb the rise in gang violence. Kenyan president William Ruto said the plan is eventually to send 2,500 police officers to the troubled Caribbean country, where the escalating violence has left 5,600 people dead and more than 700,000 people homeless in recent years.
“The Kenya-led mission has made tremendous progress in reducing gang violence, earning praise across the globe,” Kenya’s interior minister Kipchumba Murkomen said, adding that his country’s “commitment to this historic mission is unwavering.” However, the UN estimates that, despite these efforts, about 85% of Haiti’s capital is still controlled by criminal gangs. The United States has pledged $300 million for the UN-backed mission, with Canada contributing $123 million, including $80.5 million for the UN trust fund. Senegal and Jamaica have also supported the initiative by sending security personnel to join the mission.