Members of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission participate in interdenominational service in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Credit: William Ruto / X - Photo: 2025

Kenya Deploys 200 More Police Officers to Haiti as Crisis Escalates

By Nicholas Mwangi*

NAIROBI | 27 January 2025 (IDN) — Kenya has deployed another batch of 217 police officers to Haiti, adding to the 400 sent last year as part of a “multinational mission” aimed at addressing the country’s deepening crisis of gang violence. The intervention aims to protect critical infrastructure and conduct “targeted operations” alongside the Haitian National Police, however, there are significant doubts about its effectiveness in resolving the systemic challenges plaguing Haiti.

On October 2, 2024, the United Nations Security Council authorized this year-long, Kenyan-led security intervention to purportedly combat gang violence and restore stability to territories controlled by armed groups. The Kenyan officers have been joined by contingents from Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Kenya’s Interior Minister for Security, Kipchumba Murkomen, posted on X, “The 217 officers will reinforce the first batch of 400 deployed last year to the Caribbean nation to restore peace. The Kenya-led mission has made tremendous progress in reducing gang violence, earning praise across the globe, including from both the outgoing and incoming US administrations. Our commitment to this historic mission is unwavering, and we will continue to mobilize all the necessary international support for it to succeed.”

Escalating crisis despite intervention

Despite the assurances of Kenyan leaders, the security situation in Haiti appears to have deteriorated in various areas since the mission’s launch. UN reports reveal that over one million people have been displaced across the country, a staggering increase from the 315,000 recorded on December 20, 2023. Gang violence continues to escalate, with more than 5,600 people killed in 2023 alone. Disturbingly, the UN Rights Office documented 315 lynchings of gang members and individuals allegedly linked to gangs—acts that were sometimes reportedly facilitated by Haitian police officers.

Haiti’s humanitarian crisis is equally dire. The UN’s USD 674 million humanitarian response plan for the country remains severely underfunded, with only 42% of the necessary funds secured. This leaves a gaping USD 388 million shortfall, crippling efforts to provide essential aid to the millions affected by violence, displacement, and economic hardship. More importantly, it leaves the country heavily reliant on external assistance. This dependency could potentially influence Haiti’s political trajectory.

Historical context of Haiti’s crisis

Haiti’s current predicament cannot be understood without examining its long history of imperialist exploitation and foreign intervention. Since its revolutionary origin as the first independent Black republic in 1804, Haiti has been systematically undermined by foreign occupations and economic warfare. The current crisis reverts the nation to what some observers classify as a pre-revolutionary, or neo-colonial situation. Its sovereignty is compromised, and its social fabric is torn apart by external and internal pressures.

Kenya’s involvement in Haiti, while framed as a humanitarian mission to restore order, has sparked concerns. Critics argue that it’s just another foreign intervention that fails to address Haiti’s structural issues. The Kenyan police, whose own record on human rights has been questioned domestically, faces the daunting challenge of operating in an environment where trust in law enforcement is already tenuous. Moreover, the rise in gang activity and displacement since the mission began calls into question the efficacy of militarized solutions to deeply rooted social and economic problems caused by imperialism.

Resolving Haiti’s crisis will require a comprehensive approach that extends beyond security measures, as every intervention historically has left Haiti worse off than before. Genuine international solidarity is crucial, including debt relief, reparations for historical injustices, and empowering grassroots movements dedicated to rebuilding the nation. There must be an end to the cycle of foreign interventions that prioritize control over sovereignty, as restoring sovereignty is equally vital to restoring dignity to the Haitian people.

Original link: https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/01/24/kenya-deploys-200-more-police-officers-to-haiti-as-crisis-escalates/

*Nicholas Mwangi is a member of the Ukombozi Library in Kenya. [IDN-InDepthNews]

Photo: Members of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission participate in interdenominational service in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Credit: William Ruto / X

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