The US has delivered vital military equipment to Kenyan and other anti-gang forces in Haiti.
Continued US assistance is in doubt, however, because President-elect Donald Trump opposes US military interventions in foreign conflicts. He has not yet discussed Haiti.
The State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs delivered armoured personnel carriers to support the Haitian National Police and Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission in Haiti.
Armored personnel carriers doubled the MSS fleet and enhanced mobility. The vital weapons were delivered between October 28 and November 3 to the violence-torn Caribbean state.
Kenya has 400 troops in Haiti, with a goal of 1,000. It plans to deploy 600 more police officers in the next year. The goal is for 2,500 foreign troops, including Kenyans.
The UN-authorised mission is heavily funded and equipped by the US. “INL has also contributed other law enforcement tools to aid the MSS forces working in coordination with the HNP to combat deadly Haitian gangs,” a US statement said.
“This assistance underscores our ongoing commitment to addressing the urgent security and humanitarian needs in Haiti. A well-equipped MSS is critical for bolstering the anti-gang efforts of the HNP.”
The mission in Haiti authorised by the United Nations Security Council is led by Kenya and the Government of Haiti to restore security and public order in a country where gangs wield enormous power and control vast swathes of territory.
The mission was a project of President Joe Biden. The managers of the mission were summoned to a meeting in the Middle East to discuss the way forward.
Kenya’s first contingent of police officers arrived in June 2023, when 200 police officers arrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince. An additional 200 police officers landed on November 7, 2023, bringing the total to 400.
The mission is expected to comprise at least 2,500 foreign police personnel, deployed in phases, at an annual cost of about $600 million.
Troops from the Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize have joined the mission. Kenya also plans to send female police officers to help women who have been raped by gangs.
Female police officers are being trained. If all goes as planned, an all-female Special Weapons and Tactics Team will join the 600 being prepared for deployment at the end of November.
Officials said they had realised there is need for female police officers to stabilise the situation. They will help in handling female suspects and gender-related cases.
They will join personnel from General
Service Unit, the Administration Police’s Border Patrol Unit, Rapid Deployment Unit and Anti-Stock Theft Unit.
