By Ebi Kesiena
Kenyan security force will depart for Haiti on June 25 to lead a UN-backed mission aimed at combating gang violence in the Caribbean nation, despite ongoing legal challenges, according to government and police sources.
Heritage Times HT recalls that Kenya had offered to send around 1,000 police officers to help stabilize Haiti alongside personnel from several other countries. However, the deployment has faced legal hurdles within Kenya.
President William Ruto, a strong supporter of the mission, announced that the deployment would begin within weeks.
“The departure is this Tuesday,” an interior ministry official stated anonymously. “Preparations are set for the team to depart for Haiti on Tuesday. We already have two advance teams that left one last week and another yesterday,” a senior police official confirmed.
A UN Security Council resolution approved the mission in October last year, but a Kenyan court delayed the deployment in January, citing the need for a prior agreement before sending police officers abroad. The government secured this agreement on March 1, but a small opposition party has filed a new lawsuit to block the deployment.
In addition to Kenya, other countries that have expressed willingness to join the mission include Benin, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad.
Meanwhile, Global monitor Human Rights Watch has raised concerns about the mission and its funding. Rights groups have accused Kenyan police of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings. Recently, a police watchdog announced an investigation into allegations that officers shot a 29-year-old man in Nairobi during youth-led demonstrations against proposed tax hikes.
