Diego Da Rin, a consultant and a Haiti expert working with the International Crisis Group on Monday, May 27 shared insights on the potential effects of the deployment of Kenyan Police to Haiti.
Speaking during an interview with France 24, he revealed that experts on the crisis in the Caribbean country project that when the multinational mission is operationalised, the gangs are expected to lose some of their members who are expected to throw in the towel.
According to Da Rin, young Haiti gang members will be forced to exit the groups due to the intensity of the fights. He argued that some of these members had found themselves in the gang due to lack of opportunities.
"The gangs know that they are facing a stronger force than themselves and that is why they are resisting the deployment," the expert stated.
Da Rin added that initially, the gangs will pull out all stops to take on the foreign security personnel. However, when the battle intensifies, the gangs will retreat.
He noted that this deployment could not be coming at a better time since basic facilities in the Caribbean nation are now on the brink of collapse. Gangs in Haiti have caused chaos and led to the resignation of Ariel Henry as the Prime Minister.
"The new government will need a lot of support from the international community to conduct elections, restore security, and get the state institutions back in place," he remarked.
Conclusively, Da Rin asked the international community to put in place stricter sanctions on anyone who is funding or aiding the gangs. He added that this will limit the gangs from accessing resources.
The deployment of 1,000 police officers from Kenya was set to take place in last week while President William Ruto was in the US for a State Visit.
However, the deployment hit yet another challenge and was delayed for approximately three weeks.
Meanwhile, violence in the Caribbean nation has continued to escalate with residents appealing for a prompt response.
President Ruto has assured that the deployment will take place soon. A Kenyan delegation comprising of high ranking police officers has already jetted back into the country after conducting a reconnaissance mission in the Caribbean country to assess conditions Kenyan police will face once they touch down.
"Once we have that assessment that we agreed with the Haitian police and the Haitian leadership, we are looking at the horizon of between three weeks and there about for us to be ready to deploy, once everything on the ground is set," Ruto announced.
Kenyan troops will be joined by their counterparts from Jamaica, Benin, Chad, Chile, and Nigeria and other countries that have shown a willingness to extend support.
