Kenya Sends 217 More Police to Haiti Under UN-Backed Mission, Total Deployment Over 600

Jan 18, 2025, 06:35 PM

Kenya has deployed an additional 217 police officers to Haiti as part of a United Nations-backed Multinational Security Support Mission aimed at combating gang violence. The officers, seen off by Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, departed from Kenya on Friday and arrived in Port-au-Prince on Saturday, joining a first batch of 400 officers sent last year. The total deployment now exceeds 600 officers, with Kenyan President William Ruto pledging to deploy up to 1,000. The mission, led by Kenya under UN auspices, has been praised globally for its efforts in reducing gang violence, though challenges persist with gangs still controlling 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. The deployment comes amid reports of over 5,600 people killed in Haiti last year due to gang violence, with more than 700,000 Haitians displaced in recent years.