CNN has dismissed reports stemming from an Instagram post, featuring a fake screenshot purportedly from the channel claiming that President William Ruto had called his American counterpart seeking naval support to invade Haiti.
The fake post alleged that the two had a phone call where the main talking point was purchasing World War II-era amphibious landing crafts, ostensibly to overpower gangs in the Caribbean nation who have taken over the main airport and blocked the country's airspace.
In the fake screenshot, it was claimed that Kenya was banking on the naval equipment to stage an assault against the gangs in line with its mission to restore order in the war-torn country.
The screenshot was captioned, "African nations are about to launch a D-day style invasion on Haiti."
After the screenshot went viral, CNN spokesperson Emily Kuhn came out to clarify the allegations, stating that the image was a fabrication.
According to the spokesperson, the claims were the exact opposite of what the media house was likely to post on its social media platforms.
Similarly, there were no credible reports to prove the claims that Kenya was seeking to use US vessels to invade Haiti.
President William Ruto only approved plans for a United Nations-backed multinational police force to help address gang violence in Haiti. Even so, in the agreement, there was no mention of naval vessels.
On September 25, 2023, Kenya signed a defence deal with the United States that would see Kenya access resources and support ahead of deploying 1,000 police officers to Haiti.
However, in the deal, there was no mention of any specific equipment that would be used during the Kenyan operation.
During his visit to Kenya, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also underscored Kenya’s role in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
The deal was signed despite a court order that barred the deployment plan, terming it as unconstitutional.
