Kenya is set to deploy an additional 600 police officers to Haiti next month to strengthen an international anti-gang mission, as confirmed by President William Ruto during a Friday visit by Haiti’s Prime Minister, Garry Conille. This move is aimed at accelerating troop deployments to the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, led by Kenya.
So far, around 2,900 troops from at least 10 nations have been pledged for the U.N.-backed mission, which launched in June. However, only about 430 troops have been deployed, with nearly 400 from Kenya.
Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, remains largely under the control of heavily armed gangs, who continue to expand their influence. Just last week, the Gran Grif gang carried out one of the deadliest assaults in recent history, killing at least 115 people in a rural region, according to local officials.
President Ruto expressed optimism about the mission’s impact on security in Haiti, stating, “This is a battle we can win.” He announced that the 600 Kenyan officers are currently in training and will be operational by next month.
Haitian Prime Minister Conille commended the swift response of Kenyan police during the recent gang massacre, highlighting their ability to mobilize quickly and provide critical protection.
Haiti’s ongoing gang violence has displaced over 700,000 people, with more than five million facing severe hunger, nearly half the country’s population, according to U.N. figures. Last month, the U.N. Security Council extended the MSS mission for another year, though efforts to turn it into a full U.N. peacekeeping operation were blocked by Russia and China.
