The Kenyan-led international security force deployed to Haiti has made “significant progress” in tackling gang violence, police from the East African country said, two months after they first arrived.
The Kenya Police Force has put out a statement saying its members on mission in Haiti have made “significant progress” in tackling gang violence in the Caribbean nation.
The police said the force had helped Haitian police take back control of “critical infrastructure, including the airport, from gang control” and “opened critical roads that have enabled the return of thousands of Haitians earlier displaced”.
The statement comes amid reports that the Kenyan police officers in Haiti are yet to be paid.
In an article published in the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation on Monday, several relatives of police officers deployed to Haiti said they were “undergoing financial strain” due to delays in salary payments of their kin.
A day later, however, the acting inspector general of police, Gilbert Masengeli, issued a statement saying the officers would receive their pay “this week”.
The Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), which is part of an initiative backed by the United States, was deployed to help Haiti tackle the soaring insecurity.
In June, The New Humanitarian reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had ordered the release of an initial $109m to pay for the Kenyan-led mission.
“The United States has been by far the main political and financial backer of the Multinational Security Support mission, pledging a total of $300m to support it despite opposition in the US Congress, from many Haitians, and in the Kenyan courts,” the report said.
Gang attacks pushed PM Ariel Henry to resign
Haiti has long been plagued by violent gangs that now control swathes of the capital Port-au- Prince and the country’s main roads.
The Kenyan contingent is made up of officers from several elite units, of which at least 400 have already been deployed. A total of 1,000 Kenyan officers has been promised.
Set up for an initial duration of one year, the mission will involve a total of 2,500 personnel from countries including Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, the Bahamas and Barbados.
The US has ruled out putting boots on the ground but is contributing funding and logistical support to the mission.
Gang attacks escalated at the start of the year, pushing embattled Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign.
Since then, the violence in Port-au-Prince has led to a serious humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations estimates that nearly 600,000 people have been displaced in Haiti, with the armed gangs accused of abuses including murder, rape, looting and kidnappings.
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