Kenya to deploy troops in Haiti this week

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Kenya will send military personnel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti this week with hopes of stabilizing the island country’s widespread turmoil since the capital fell last year.

“We Haitians have to decide who is going to be the head of the country and what model of government we want,” G9 gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier told reporters. “We are also going to figure out how to get Haiti out of the misery it’s in now.”

Since 2023, the United Nations Integration Office in Haiti (BINUH) reported over 8,400 direct victims of gang violence, up 122% from 2022.

Chérizier, a former police officer, has been dubbed as one of the nation’s most notorious and influential denizens. Gangs like his have overtaken the country’s main airport, abducted hostages and released over 4,000 inmates from the two largest prisons, wreaking havoc on an already unstable environment.

Port-au-Prince accounted for 83% of killings and injuries on the island since the chaos began, while violence also spread to other areas, specifically to Artibonite.

“As long as the gangs continue to have access to very sophisticated firearms, they will have the capability to subject the Haitian population to terror,” Ghada Waly, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said earlier this year.

She mentioned finding 11 informal airstrips across the nation potentially being used to import illegal weapons and drugs to local gangs like 5 Segond and 400 Mawozo.

“Every passing day that this long-awaited support has not yet arrived is one day too many,” said Jean Victor Geneus, Haiti’s minister for foreign affairs.

Kenyan delegates have been selected to work alongside the Haitian National Police Force funded by $300 million USD under the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

“The MSS is time-bound and subject to periodic review, per the U.N. Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2699,” a State Department spokesperson said. “The mission is authorized for an initial period of 12 months and will be subject to a review at the nine-month mark. Following the review, the U.N. Secretary-General will provide recommendations on the adaptation or transformation of the mandate.”

“The MSS mission includes four phases: deployment, decisive operations, stabilization, and transition,” the official continued. “One of the main indicators for this end state will be the establishment and sustainable presence of a credible national law enforcement service capable of maintaining peace and stability so that the government of Haiti can hold free and fair elections… the core priorities of the MSS mandate, including supporting the Haitian National Police (HNP) in counter-gang operations, securing critical infrastructure, creating an environment conducive to humanitarian assistance delivery, as well as promoting the protection of human rights.”

All but two members of the 15-party council voted to support the mission. China and Russia abstained from voting, citing a need for more in-depth conversations with Haiti and a more thorough withdrawal strategy.

A reporter inquiry about evacuation plans was directed to a press officer from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, who said they “do not have that information at hand.”

The Kenyan military has faced numerous setbacks this year. Last month, their military chief Gen. Francis Ogolla died in a helicopter crash near the Ugandan border. He served in the country’s armed forces for 40 years.

Charles Muriu Kahariri now leads the Kenyan Defence Forces and has been on the job for less than 30 days. Kenyan President William Ruto recently made Major General Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed the first female commander of the Kenyan Air Force. He also swore in Major General Paul Owuor Otieno as navy commander and John Mugaravai Omenda as vice chief of the defense forces and the rank of lieutenant general.

Despite staunch international support, members of Kenya’s parliament have deemed the effort abroad unconstitutional. Judge Chacha Mwita said that Kenya does not have the authority to deploy police outside of the country.

“It is not contested that there is no reciprocal arrangement between Kenya and Haiti and for that reason, there can be no deployment of police to that country,” Mwita ruled, citing the nation’s federal laws.

A new lawsuit was filed last week raising concerns about the lack of a formal relationship, but President Ruto said that he and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry signed an agreement on March 1. Henry has been residing in Kenya due to civil unrest caused by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, Haiti’s former president.

Haitian officials have voiced doubts of a successful outcome led by Kenya due to previous failed missions like the 2004 Brazilian-led United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti which caused rampant sexual abuse and spread cholera.

“Another international intervention might inadvertently worsen the situation, exposing more people to violence. Any deployment of a large number of police officers could also further strain the already struggling economy, escalating rent and food prices and reducing the amount of food Haitians can purchase, [and] pushing those already unable to afford their next meal to the brink of famine,” Laurent Uwumuremyi, Mercy Corps Country director for Haiti, said. “It is critical that any intervention done to restore stability, respects human rights and humanitarian laws, and does not jeopardize or hinder aid operations or worsen the violence.”

The Haitian National Police Force, established in 1995, has made every effort possible to improve security on the ground. Through funds provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) they purchased 20 patrol vehicles and 250 motorcycles to increase mobility and welcomed approximately 795 new recruits in March—despite 1,600 officers resigning in 2023.

Leaders like María Isabel Salvador, special representative of the secretary-general and head of BINUH, have been in support of the efficient deployment of the Kenyan-led forces.

While Haitian descendant and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not respond to comments on this matter, many look forward to Biden’s conversation with Ruto this week. Other sovereign nations such as Burundi, Chad, Senegal, Jamaica and Belize have currently pledged troops for the mission which set a goal of 3,000 multinational members.