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Pressure mounts on Kenya for Haiti deployment as crisis worsens

This screen grab taken from AFPTV shows tires on fire near the main prison of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on March 3, 2024, after a breakout by several thousand inmates. (Photo: Luckenson Jean/ AFP)

By Mwangi Maina | Sunday, March 10, 2024

President William Ruto received a call on Saturday from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which they discussed the Haiti crisis.

Nairobi is under increasing pressure from Washington to swiftly deploy a police force to gang violence-plagued Haiti and take charge of a multinational team seeking to combat the worsening violence.

President William Ruto received a call on Saturday from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which they discussed the Haiti crisis.

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Both leaders reaffirmed their dedication to a multinational security mission aimed at restoring order, according to the State Department's statement on Saturday.

Haiti declared a state of emergency last Sunday as violence intensified, coinciding with embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry's visit to Nairobi to negotiate a deal for the long-awaited UN-backed mission.

Thus far, Kenya has formalised the planned deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti after signing a reciprocal agreement with the Caribbean country.

A reciprocal agreement is an arrangement between two or more states that prevents an employee working in one while living in the other from having to pay income taxes to both.

The agreement was signed in Nairobi by security ministers from the two countries in the presence of President William Ruto and PM Henry.

With the signing, Kenya embarked on the final preparations of deployment having received Parliament’s approval for the mission and prepared its concept of operations, authorisation procedures and documents in its role as the lead coordinator of the mission.

A quick intervention is needed in Haiti as criminal groups, which already control much of the capital Port-au-Prince as well as roads leading to the rest of the country, have unleashed havoc as they try to oust Henry.

The unrest has seen 362,000 Haitians internally displaced -- more than half of them children and some forced to move multiple times, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Saturday.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sunday offered his prayers for Haiti, calling for all sides to work towards peace and reconciliation, "with the renewed support of the international community".