Two hundred Kenyan police officers arrived in Haiti on Thursday to join the United Nations-backed mission combating violent gangs in the crisis-ridden Caribbean nation.
This deployment adds to the 600 Kenyan officers already stationed in Haiti as part of a multinational security force, which includes personnel from Jamaica, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Despite initial uncertainty due to a U.S. aid freeze, the U.S. State Department has approved $40.7 million in funding and provided heavy armored equipment to support the mission.
The force, led by Kenyan commanders, faces significant challenges as Haiti grapples with gang violence, political instability, and economic hardship. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has commended Kenya’s leadership in the mission.
