Kenyan police arrive in Haiti to fight violent gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Another 200 police officers from Kenya arrived Tuesday in Haiti for a UN-backed mission led by the East African country to combat violent gangs that have taken control of parts of the troubled Caribbean country.

The officers arrived almost a month later the first contingent Of the 200, they landed in the capital Port-au-Prince, where gangs control at least 80 percent of the city.

Last week, the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned “the extreme levels of armed violence” in Haiti which compromise security in the country and in the region.

Authorities declined to provide details of the Kenyans’ missions, citing security concerns. Associated Press journalists saw them. On patrol in areas near the main international airport, which reopened in May after a surge in gang violence forced it to close for almost three months.

“We are happy to work alongside Kenyans,” said Normil Rameau, the new head of the Haitian National Policesaid shortly after their arrival. “On behalf of the government, we welcome them.”

More Kenyans are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and months, and will be joined by police and troops from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica, for a total of 2,500 troops. They will be deployed in phases at a cost of about $600 million a year, according to the UN Security Council.

The Kenyan-led mission aims to bolster Haiti’s National Police, which remains understaffed and underfunded, with only about 10,000 officers active at any one time in a country of more than 11 million people.

The mission also aims to crack down on gangs blamed for killing more than 4,450 people last year and wounding 1,668 others, according to the UN, more than double the number from the previous year. More than 1,500 people were killed or wounded in the first three months of this year.

While some Haitians have welcomed the arrival of the Kenyans, others remain wary.

“Haitians fear that this mission, as has happened in the past … will only result in a temporary reduction in violence,” said Diego Da Rin of the International Crisis Group, who was recently in Haiti. Da Rin noted that some politicians and business leaders have long been linked to gangs and warned that the crisis would continue “until the problems of impunity and corruption are resolved.”

Another concern is that Kenyan police have faced allegations of abuses in their country for years, including extrajudicial killings. Their behavior has attracted renewed attention when they have been accused of violating human rights. opened fire on the protesters in recent weeks, amid ongoing unrest that has left dozens dead.

Moreover, a previous intervention in Haiti — the UN peacekeeping mission from 2004 to 2017 — was marred by sexual assault allegations and the introduction of Cholera, which killed nearly 10,000 people.

Jean-Marc Etienne, 49, lost his home a year ago when gangs invaded his neighborhood, forcing him to flee like many others. He says he has not seen Kenyan patrols since the first contingent arrived in June.

“Security hasn’t improved,” he said, pushing a wheelbarrow of sugarcane near the airport. “Plus, the kidnappings have started again.” He and his family live in a friend’s garden under a tarpaulin, exposed to stifling heat and heavy rain.

The gangs are gone More than half a million Haitians have been homeless in recent years.

“No action is being taken yet,” said Mario Jean-Baptiste, 39, as he walked past the airport and looked around for Kenyans. “That’s what the Haitian people are counting on.”

He said Haitians still cannot move freely in Port-au-Prince and many have no place to sleep or anything to eat: “They live like dogs.”

Violence escalated early this year The gangs launched coordinated attacks in late February, opening fire on the main international airport, storming more than two dozen police stations and breaking into Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates.

The attacks eventually led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henrywho had urgently requested the deployment of foreign forces at the end of 2022. His resignation at the end of April was followed by the appointment of a transitional presidential council and a new prime minister, Garry Conille.

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.