President William Ruto has revealed that Kenya will deploy a reconnaissance mission to Haiti ahead of the official deployment of police to the country marred with gang violence.
In a statement dated Thursday, March 14, Ruto highlighted that the move ensures that the 1,000 police officers are adequately prepared to take on the different gangs in the Carribean nation.
A reconnaissance mission involves deploying a technical team tasked with gathering intel on the potential enemy, the routes they use and the battlefield's terrain among others.
The information gathered by this mission then informs strategies to be used by the main team during their operations.
According to Ruto, the team will be deployed once an interim leadership is installed in Haiti given that Prime Minister Ariel Henry is set to leave office.
The Head of State made the revelation after holding phone calls with three leaders including Haiti's outgoing PM, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Davis.
"During our discussions, I conveyed our unwavering commitment to supporting Haiti, emphasising that they are our brothers and sisters. I assured them that we will remain actively involved and we will not abandon Haiti in their time of need.
"I further outlined our plan to deploy a reconnaissance mission as soon as a viable administration is in place, ensuring that our security personnel are adequately prepared and informed to respond effectively to the evolving situation," read the statement in part.
Kenya is yet to deploy the police force to Haiti amid pressure from the international community over the need for an urgent deployment owing to the escalating violence.
Back at home, the deployment of officers has been criticised by a section of leaders from the opposition who opine that the government is putting the lives of the Kenyan officers at risk.
Those opposed to the deployment have certainly raised concerns over the communication barriers hindering the officers' duties. Most Haitians communicate in French while most Kenyan police speak Swahili and English.
Meanwhile, Haiti gangs have also cautioned Kenya against meddling in their internal affairs.
"The solution to the problem of Haiti is in Haitians, no other country should intervene. Each country defends its interests...What we need is to change our living conditions," Jimmy Cherizier, one of the gang leaders stated.
