A 10-member Kenyan delegation has held talks with the Haitian government as well as the High Council of Transition as the East African country prepares to lead a multinational force to help the Haitian National Police restore peace and security in the French-speaking CARICOM country.
The delegation also met with senior Haitian police officials and members of the diplomatic corps.
Last year, Haiti’s Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry sent an urgent appeal to the United Nations asking for “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity” to stop gang warfare in his country.
The Kenyan delegation has assured the government that it understands the Haitian demands and the urgent need to put an end to a situation which is paralyzing the functioning of the country and putting the future of its citizens in danger.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Alfred Mutua, has said his country’s commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police in restoring normalcy and protecting strategic installations.
Two CARICOM countries – the Bahamas and Jamaica – have already said they are willing to provide personnel and the United States has also indicated a willingness to put forward a Security Council resolution to back a deployment.
Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to ensure that a multinational police deployment force is sent to Haiti to restore peace and security.
