P-au-P, 20 from 2024 [AlterPresse] — A delegation of Kenyan officials, including the mission force commander, arrived on Monday, May 20, 2024 in Haiti as part of an assessment of preparations for the Multinational Security Support Mission (Mmas) in the country, indicates the Miami Herald newspaper, consulted by the online agency AlterPresse.
This first evaluation team is responsible for inspecting the construction of the base and the international airport of Port-au-Prince, where international and national airline flights have been canceled, following attacks by armed bandits since the Thursday February 29, 2024.
The delegation is expected to remain in Haiti throughout the week and participate in several meetings, including with the United Nations Integrated Office in Port-au-Prince, reports Miami Herald.
The first Kenyan contingent is expected to be made up of a few hundred police and support staff, according to sources cited by the newspaper.
A contingent in Jamaica is also awaiting deployment orders.
Kenyan President William Ruto also arrived on Monday, May 20, 2024, in Atlanta, United States of America, as part of a historic state visit.
Ruto will be in talks with the Biden administration over the long-planned deployment of a Multinational Security Mission to Haiti, Miami Herald points out.
Kenya, which will lead the force, plans to deploy more than 1,000 officers to Haiti to help the Haitian National Police (HNP) combat armed gangs.
Kenyan police officers will be sent to Haiti in a few days, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Singoei announced on Sunday, May 19, 2024.
“The deployment will take place in a few days or weeks. But there is no chance of President Ruto going to Port-au-Prince as has been claimed,” he said with certainty.
US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden would host Ruto and his wife Rachel Ruto, for a state visit, on Thursday, May 23, 2024, to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Kenya, confirmed the American presidency, according to what the Kenyan newspaper “The Star” reported.
The deployment of the international force in Haiti could coincide with the official visit of Kenyan President William Ruto to the United States on Thursday, May 23, 2024, several foreign media reported.
An initial deployment of Kenyan police officers was planned to coincide with Ruto’s arrival in Washington later this month, Todd D. Robinson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Narcotics, told the Miami Herald and law enforcement.
He had refused to give an exact date or the number of officers who will be deployed as part of the Mmas.
In the meantime, an opposition party in Kenya has again asked the Kenyan justice system to block the deployment of the multinational force, emphasizing how the signing, by the Kenyan government, of the reciprocity instrument with Haiti constitutes a blatant disobedience to the order of the High Court of Kenya.
The legal action must be served on senior officials of the Kenyan government, the High Court of Kenya has ordered.
Besides Kenya, other countries, such as Chile, Jamaica, Grenada, Paraguay, Burundi, Chad, Nigeria and Mauritius will send officers to Haiti, as part of the Mmas.
Kenya’s teams come from the Rapid Deployment Unit (Rdu), Anti-Stock Theft Unit (Astu), General Services Unit (Gsu) and Border Patrol Unit (Bpu) .
Having been trained in combat, they would be able to handle the situation on the ground in a professional manner.
They also received training in various areas, including language.
They would be authorized, among other things, to use AK47 rifles for their operations, according to officials.
From January to March 2024, More than 2,500 people, including at least 82 children, have been killed or injured following armed gang violence in Haitiaccording to the United Nations. [emb rc apr 20/05/2024 12:35]
