Explainer: Haiti called for security support. Who answered?
Haitian soldiers patrol near the Toussaint Louverture International Airport following a gunfight with armed gangs on the surroundings of the airport, as the government declared state of emergency amid violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, March 4, 2024. Ralph Tedy Erol | Reuters
More than a year ago Haiti's government formally requested a multinational force be deployed to help its police restore control of the capital Port-au-Prince, as powerful alliances of heavily armed gangs expanded their influence.
Progress has lagged, but as Prime Minister Ariel Henry travelled to Kenya last week to sign a deal expected to secure Kenya's leadership, fighting escalated dramatically as armed men broke thousands of inmates out of overpopulated prisons, authorities declared a state of emergency and thousands of displaced people fled makeshift camps in the capital.
