US President Joe Biden has authorised the disbursement of Ksh1.3 billion (USD10 million) worth of weapons for Haitian police officers to deal with the escalating gang violence.
According to the Miami Herald, President Biden authorised Secretary of State Antony Blinken to get the weapons, ammunition, bulletproof vests and helmets for the officers.
The arsenal will boost the Haitian Police Force before the Multinational Security Support Team led by Kenya is deployed to the Caribbean country.
"Our support is intended to help Haitians restore security, order and the rule of law and protect civilians, while at the same time committed to supporting Haitian-led effort for a peaceful transition of power," stated White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre on Tuesday.
The ammunition and other police equipment will be from the Department of Homeland Security stockpile. The US has been one of the major financiers of the multinational mission.
This announcement comes at a time when the Haitian police are struggling to quell the gang violence as a Transitional Council.
Notably, the deployment of Kenyan police officers will be implemented after a transitional council is fully established in Haiti.
On Tuesday, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman revealed that there are several factors which have resulted in the deployment delay. She explained that first, Kenyan police need to be trained to prepare adequately for the mission.
She also revealed that the US Department of Defence sees it as necessary to set up a camp in the nation before the deployment.
"These are complicated missions. This is not a UN peacekeeping mission. It is a different kind of mission," she added.
Whitman however, emphasised that the United Nations is still in the process of setting up a trust fund. The fund will collect all donations from other global partners.
The deployment to the war-torn country has been met with several challenges including a court ruling, delays in releasing funding, and some police officers backing down from the mission.
Despite the hurdles, President William Ruto has emphasised that Kenya is ready and will honour its commitment to deploy the officers who will work alongside others from different countries.
