Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille told the UN Security Council on Wednesday, July 3, 2024 that the recent deployment of Kenyan police will be crucial to help control gangs in the country and move toward democratic elections.
He described the feedback from their first days in the capital as “extremely, extremely positive.”
At the UN Security Council session, Conille said his government will focus on combating gang violence and food insecurity, ensuring free elections through constitutional and political reforms, and working to restore public confidence in law enforcement.
It is worth noting that on June 25, a first contingent of 200 Kenyan police officers arrived in Port-au-Prince. Kenya has pledged to provide 1,000 officers to the international force, and Conille announced that the next group will arrive “very, very soon.” They will be joined by officers from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica, making a total force of 2,500.
Recall that Haiti had requested the formation of an international force to combat gangs in 2022, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called for several months for a country to take the lead in this initiative before Kenya accepted this role.