Kenya said on Thursday that 144 additional police officers have arrived in Haiti for the Multinational Security Support Mission to fight gang violence.
Kipchumba Murkomen, the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, said the police officers, comprising 120 men and 24 women, will reinforce the 600 officers deployed earlier who have already made commendable progress in reducing gang violence in the Caribbean nation. Murkomen said other countries, notably Guatemala and El Salvador, had sent additional officers in recent weeks.
"Together with Jamaican and Belizean troops, and supported by Haitian police, we are making concerted efforts to establish order," he said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday evening.
The troops are in Haiti to boost the UN-backed security mission which, despite some progress, has yet to effectively stem the escalating violence. Murkomen said Kenya's leadership in the mission, which is funded by the UN Trust Fund for Haiti under UN Security Council Resolution 2699, reflects the country's longstanding commitment to peacekeeping and peace support operations.
Haiti has struggled for years with gang violence and political instability. The newly deployed police officers are expected to join special units within the Haitian National Police to strengthen efforts against gang violence.
