During a recent visit to Port-au-Prince, Kenyan President William Ruto announced that Kenya will deploy 600 additional police officers to Haiti in the coming weeks. This move will increase the Kenyan contingent to a total of 1,000 personnel, reinforcing the international effort to assist Haiti’s National Police in reclaiming territory from powerful gangs.
President Ruto praised the officers already on the ground for their progress and expressed his support for transitioning the current Kenya-led mission into a formal United Nations peacekeeping operation by 2025, a shift that would secure more consistent funding and resources.
Despite the President’s optimism, United Nations experts have raised serious concerns regarding the mission’s current effectiveness. William O’Neil, a UN human rights expert, pointed out that the mission is severely under-equipped, lacking essential technology like drones, night-vision goggles, and helicopters.
He noted that while other nations have pledged nearly 1,900 additional troops, less than a quarter of the planned force has actually been deployed. This slow rollout has allowed gangs to continue smuggling arms and expanding their control into new areas, further displacing hundreds of thousands of residents.
The security crisis in Haiti has led to a dramatic rise in sexual violence and has left over 700,000 people displaced. Local police officers in various regions have described the situation as nearly impossible to manage without better logistical support.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet by the end of the month to decide on renewing the current mandate. A favorable vote would extend the mission for another 12 months and potentially pave the way for a more robust UN-led intervention next year to address what experts describe as a desperate race against time.
