President William Ruto and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday held
a telephone conversation on the Kenya-led
Haiti Mission.
The two discussed the transition of the Mission to the UN.
The plans were in September thwarted at the UN by both China and Russia.
The conversation came a day after Donald Trump won the US presidential election.
The Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti was mooted by President Joe Biden and there are fears the incoming president may not be keen on it.
Ruto said he had a constructive conversation with Blinken on the
Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti.
“We discussed the transition of the mission into a UN
peacekeeping operation to enhance the capability of the mission to help
stabilise Haiti,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) delivered vital equipment to support the Haitian National Police (HNP) and MSS mission in Haiti.
Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) arrived in Haiti to double the MSS fleet and enhance mobility, along with other assistance.
The vital weapons were delivered between
October 28 and November 3 to the troops trying to restore sanity in the
gang-infested Caribbean state by the United States Department of Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
“INL has also contributed other law enforcement tools to aid the MSS forces working in coordination with the HNP to combat deadly Haitian gangs.”
“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 statement said.
The mission in Haiti which was authorized by the United Nations Security Council is led by Kenya together with the Government of Haiti in a bid to restore security and public order in a country where gangs wield enormous power.
Kenya plans to deploy 600 more police officers to Haiti for the mission in the next one year. The next team is set to leave for Haiti end of November, officials say.
Kenyan troops set foot in Haiti with its
first contingent of police officers in June 2024, when a group of 200
police officers arrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince with an additional 200
police officers landing on November 7, 2023, bringing the total number of
Kenyan personnel deployed to 400.
This deployment was part of a UN-backed mission aimed at addressing the severe gang violence that has plagued Haiti and consequently had overpowered Haiti’s National Police which has been underfunded.
The mission is expected to comprise up to 2,500 police personnel, deployed in phases, at an annual cost of approximately $600 million.
Apart from Kenya, troops from the Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize have joined the mission.
Haiti is reeling after members of the Gran Grif gang stormed through the town of Pont-Sonde in the western Artibonite region early on October 3, killing at least 115 people, including infants, and forcing over 6,000 residents to flee.
