New York Times: On Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto said the two governments had signed the agreement allowing the deployment. He did not specify when the police would be sent to Haitibut said in a statement that he and Mr. Henry had “discussed the next steps to enable the deployment to be accelerated.”
Friday March 1, 2024 ((rezonodwes.com))–Kenya and Haiti signed an agreement “ reciprocal » to deploy police officers from the East African country to lead a United Nations-backed law enforcement mission in the gang-ridden Caribbean country, Kenyan President William Ruto said.
Mr Ruto said on Friday that he had “discussed with Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry the next steps to enable the acceleration of the deployment”, but It was not immediately clear whether the deal would run afoul of a January court ruling that called the deployment “unconstitutional.”l».
The deal was signed as the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, was gripped by deadly gang-related violence, which led to the closure of businesses and schools and the cancellation of flights.
Kenya had previously said it was prepared to provide up to 1,000 personnel, an offer welcomed by the United States and other countries that had ruled out sending their own forces on the ground.
But a Nairobi court ruled the move was unconstitutional, particularly because the two countries had not signed a reciprocal agreement on the issue.
On Friday, Mr Ruto said he and Mr Henry had “witnessed the signing” of a reciprocal agreement in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital.
“I take this opportunity to reiterate Kenya’s commitment to contributing to the success of this multinational mission. We believe this is a historic duty because peace in Haiti is beneficial for the whole world,” Mr. Ruto said in a statement.
