Santo Domingo.- Kenya is preparing to deploy its forces to Haiti by no later than January 2024 in an intervention aimed at disarming criminal gangs.
In an interview with the BBC, Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Alfred Mutua, stated that the mission’s mandate is to ensure the suppression of gangs and to establish peace, security, and control in Haiti. They are currently awaiting a United Nations (UN) resolution to officially enter Haiti. Such an intervention requires a UN mandate, particularly when it involves security operations.
Initially, Kenya had sent an assessment team to Haiti with the intention of deploying a static force to maintain order. However, Mutua clarified that the mission has evolved into an intervention force with the responsibility of disarming criminal gangs.
Mutua also revealed that a recent survey showed that 80% of Haitians are in favor of Kenya’s intervention. The gangs in Haiti are motivated by financial interests and have supporters who profit from the instability in the country.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution authorizing the deployment of an international force to Haiti for one year. This force is intended to help combat the increasing gang violence in Haiti and restore security, facilitating the long-delayed presidential election in the Caribbean nation.
