The United Nations has announced that Haiti will require up to 5,000 police officers to effectively combat and dismantle the deadly gangs operating within the country.
UN rights expert William O’Neill stated that the mission would necessitate between 4,000 and 5,000 police officers in response to the escalating conflict in the Caribbean nation.
O’Neill noted that the current situation is at its worst and that it will require five times more officers than the initial number of 1000 officers to help the Haitian National Police regain control of security and curb human rights abuses.
The UN human rights expert announced while presenting a report which called for immediate and bold action to tackle the cataclysmic situation in the country.
He further stated that impunity and poor governance, along with escalating gang violence, have severely undermined the rule of law, bringing institutions in Haiti dangerously close to collapse.
O'Neill's report, detailing the situation in Haiti over the past five months, ending in February, revealed that gangs continue to recruit and exploit boys and girls.
The report also exposed the grim reality of many children losing their lives, with some being killed for attempting to escape.
In July of last year, the United Nations announced that it required only 1000 police officers to address the situation in the Caribbean nation, with Kenyan police being preferred for the mission.
The report by the UN human rights expert comes a month after Kenya signed a deal with Haiti allowing the deployment of its police officers to Port-au-Prince.
The agreement was signed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and the Haiti Security Minister at State House in the presence of President William Ruto and Haiti Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
In the meeting held at the state house, President Ruto vowed to help Haiti solve the gang problem in the Caribbean nation, as 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 commented.
