Kenya and Haiti signed a security deal on Friday aimed at eliminating the final major hurdle to the deployment of 1,000 Kenyan police officers to the gang-infested Caribbean nation.
President William Ruto of Kenya stated that the agreement, after months of delays, would “facilitate the fast-tracking” of a security mission that has sparked cautious optimism in Haiti, where violence is escalating, but has faced strong criticism from Kenyan human rights groups.
The mission, supported by the United Nations and mostly funded by the United States, has been on hold since January when a Kenyan court deemed the deployment illegal due to the absence of a formal reciprocal agreement between Kenya and Haiti.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Henry of Haiti traveled to Kenya to finalize such an agreement – all while violent gangs were wreaking havoc in his own capital, Port-au-Prince, demanding his removal.
The advantages to Kenya of leading a security mission to Haiti, one of the most violent and chaotic nations in the world, are uncertain. Kenya’s own police force has a questionable human rights record and the country faces significant security challenges on its borders, particularly with countries like Somalia and Ethiopia.
However, in a statement accompanying Friday’s announcement, Mr. Ruto asserted that his country had a “historic duty” to move forward because “peace in Haiti is beneficial for the world as a whole.”
He did not disclose the contents of the agreement, nor did he specify how quickly Kenyan police officers might be deployed to Haiti. There was no immediate response from Kenya’s High Court, which had mandated an agreement in its ruling on the deployment.
In Haiti, a new wave of destabilizing violence underscored why the United States and other nations are advocating for an international mission to rescue the island nation from the violent gangs that dominate it – even if many of those nations are reluctant to commit troops to the effort.
On Thursday, the armed gangs controlling much of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, launched coordinated attacks aimed at overthrowing the government while Mr. Henry was traveling in Africa.
At least four police officers were killed in the violence, which included assaults on the international airport and several police stations. Businesses, government offices, and schools were forced to shut down. Gang members later boasted on social media about the casualties they had inflicted on the police.
Jimmy Chérizier, a gang leader known as “Barbecue,” expressed his desire to prevent Mr. Henry from returning to Haiti. “With our guns and with the Haitian people, we will liberate the country,” he declared in a video message.
Mr. Henry downplayed the threats, pledging at a university in Nairobi on Friday to hold elections as soon as possible to stabilize the country. “We require democratic governance to attract investments to Haiti,” he stated.
However, Haitian gangs seemed to be sending a message of intimidation to demonstrate that they had formed a united front and “can strike simultaneously,” according to Diego Da Rin, a Haiti expert with the International Crisis Group.
