President William Ruto said Kenya is committed to deploying the team to ‘comprehensively assess the situation and formulate actionable strategies that will lead to long-term solutions’
Kenya’s president has committed his country to lead a multinational force in Haiti to combat gang warfare, even as residents of both countries question the plan being pushed by Washington.
Gangs have overpowered Haitian police, with experts estimating they now control some 80 per cent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Kenya sent an assessment team to Haiti weeks ago with the idea of deploying 1,000 of its police. Kenyan officials haven’t responded to questions about the mission. The U.S. has said it will provide direct financial assistance along with training, logistical and material support.Some Haitians and Kenyans have expressed skepticism about a multinational deployment led by Kenyan police, who have long been accused by watchdogs of deadly force, torture and other abuses.
This is an “alarming rise” in police abuses, especially against young adults, under Ruto, who had vowed to protect urban youth from police violence, the group said. “Statements that commend law enforcement violations and issuance of shoot-to-kill orders worsen an already critical situation.”