The deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti, intended to spearhead a UN-approved anti-gang force, has been delayed once more.
A planned flight from Nairobi scheduled for Tuesday was postponed, leaving both Kenyan officials and US counterparts scrambling for answers.
This latest setback comes after months of delays for the mission. Kenya volunteered to lead the effort last July, aiming to send 1,000 officers to combat the rampant gang violence plaguing Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince.
However, the deployment has been repeatedly stalled by legal challenges in Kenya and a surge in Haitian violence earlier this year that ousted the Prime Minister.
The mission, funded largely by the United States, aims to deploy a total of 2,500 personnel to tackle the powerful gangs that control large swathes of Port-au-Prince and are responsible for widespread violence, including kidnappings and sexual assaults.
The cause for the latest delay remains unclear.
Sources with knowledge of the situation provided conflicting reports.
One source, a former police officer, indicated the Kenyan officers were told to stand by without explanation.
Another source, briefed by a Kenyan government official, claimed that Haiti was not yet prepared to receive the officers.
Kenyan authorities have not yet commented on the situation.
