An undisclosed number of Kenyan police officers have opted out of the deployment mission following the agreement with Haiti to deploy 1000 officers to assist in quelling the gang situation.
As reported by the BBC on March 7, the officers cited concerns about their safety amid ongoing gang raids in the Caribbean nation.
Numerous Kenyan police officers who had initially volunteered for the deployment have opted out due to safety apprehensions.
In an interview with the broadcasting corporation, one officer highlighted the lack of clarity regarding the mission's execution plans, expressing uncertainty about the mechanisms put in place.
Citing the recent rise in gang violence in Haiti, another officer stated that he and his squad withdrew from the mission, which was not a mandatory deployment.
He further added that the team was asked to apply for the mission voluntarily, to help restore peace in Haiti as part of their service to humanity.
The unrest in Haiti intensified on March 3, following assaults by a notorious gang leader, commonly known as Barbecue, on the nation's primary airport. Barbecue vowed to obstruct Prime Minister Ariel Henry's return to the country.
The gangs in Port-au-Prince, further taking advantage of Prime Minister Ariel Henry's absence, unleashed a series of coordinated attacks, rendering more people homeless as they scampered for safety.
Henry, who flew to Kenya on February 29, formalised the deployment deal with President William Ruto on March 1, where the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kithure Kindiki and Haiti's security minister signed the agreement.
President William Ruto, defending his decision to deploy the troops to the disturbed country, noted that the two countries share the same origin.
"We are offering the experience and expertise of our police officers in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti as mandated by the United Nations Security Council and as guided by our courts," Ruto stated.
Unfortunately, the United States on March 5, rejected plans to send their troops to Haiti in the Kenya-led peacekeeping mission, promising to mobilise all possible assistance, including from the international community, to aid the Caribbean nation.
