Kenya: William Ruto, President of Kenya, has announced that Kenya and Haiti signed a “reciprocal” agreement to deploy police from the East African nation to lead a United Nations-backed law and order mission in the gang-ridden Caribbean nation.
Ruto said that he and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry had “discussed the next steps to enable the fast-tracking of the deployment, but it was not immediately clear whether the agreement would counter a court ruling in January that branded the deployment unconstitutional.”
Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, wracked by deadly gang-related violence, forcing the closure of businesses and schools and cancelling flights, leading up to the deal. Kenya offered to provide up to 1,000 personnel, which was welcomed by the US and other countries that had ruled out deploying their troops.
A court in Nairobi ruled that a decision made by the government is unconstitutional. The decision was made without a reciprocal agreement between the two countries involved. However, Ruto, claims that he and Henry witnessed the signing of a reciprocal agreement in Nairobi.
“I take this opportunity to reiterate Kenya’s commitment to contribute to the success of this multi-national mission. We believe this is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is good for the world as a whole,” Ruto stated.
In early October, the UN Security Council approved a mission. Nevertheless, there were concerns in Kenya about Nairobi’s involvement, which led to a court challenge. As a result, the future of a multinational force that was being sought by Haiti’s government was thrown into doubt. The government had been pleading for international assistance to tackle the violence that has resulted in nearly 5,000 deaths.
In Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest nation, armed gangs have been taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence for years, resulting in a deteriorating economy and public health services. According to a prominent gang leader, multiple factions are planning attacks on state security forces in an effort to remove Prime Minister Henry from power.
In a social media video posted before the battle, gang leader Jimmy Cherisier publicised the attack. He noted that, “With our guns and with the Haitian people, we will free the country.”
According to reports, the elected officials who were sworn in as Prime Minister by Henry with the support of the international community shortly after the assassination of President Jovanel Moisin in July 2021 are currently absent from Haiti. The prime minister was supposed to hand over power to elected officials by February 7, but this has not happened.
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