Three days after Kenyan Government offered to deploy 1,000 police officers to restore peace in Haiti, the United Nations (UN) has approved the move.
According to reports, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the offer after Kenya heeded his call to aid the embattled nation and expressed his gratitude to President William Ruto's administration.
The statement, delivered by U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, was a response to an earlier announcement by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua who affirmed that the move was aimed at assisting Haitian law enforcement restore normalcy.
“Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world, including those in the Caribbean, and aligns with the African Union’s diaspora policy and our own commitment to Pan Africanism, and in this case to `reclaiming of the Atlantic crossing,’” Mutua stated on Saturday.
The approval, however, places Kenya at the heart of a governance mess that started in July 2021, shortly after the elimination of then-President Jovenel Moïse.
According to security agencies, the Haiti capital city of Port-au-Prince has experienced an uprising of gangs that now control 80 per cent of the nation.
The gang members have launched brazen assaults on the country's law enforcement officers, showing no fear in openly attacking them and even resorting to burning down police stations.
The chaos have extended beyond the city center, reaching high-end neighborhoods on the outskirts, leaving no area untouched.
The North American country finds itself in a state of significant ungovernability as its current Prime Minister, who remains in office, is widely regarded as inept.
Adding to the turmoil, the legislature has been non-functional since the terms of the lawmakers expired back in January 2023.
The gang activities have led to widespread hunger as well as school closures and exacerbated the spread of the cholera epidemic.
According to Relief Web, a non-governmental organisation, approximately five million Haitians are in dire need of food assistance. The country needs Ksh102 billion to help solve the humanitarian crisis according to Plan International.
According to the UN, an additional 2,000 police officers are needed to help restore peace within the context of a multi-national force set to be guided by the Kenyan contingent.
"Our response in Haiti has focused on providing life-saving assistance to children and adolescents, recognising and addressing that children, especially girls, are particularly vulnerable,” stated Daphne de Bordes, Acting Country Director of Plan International Haiti.
