Religious leaders will play part in the Kenyan-led Haiti Mission after President William Ruto consulted evangelical pastors ahead of the deployment of police officers to the troubled nation, a report has revealed.
President Ruto enlisted the evangelical pastors as he attempts to figure out a lasting solution to the conflict in the war-torn nation.
Reuters in a June 5, 2024, report stated that Ruto consulted political advisers, security officials and foreign leaders about the high-profile anti-gang mission before enrolling the evangelists.
According to the report, the Head of State turned to a circle of Christian evangelical pastors close to him and first lady Rachel Ruto who are less conventional counsellors.
The pastors have issued recommendations to Ruto and served as a conduit between Haitian communities and the president, according to interviews with two of the pastors and three Haitian and American evangelical leaders.
Reports indicate that the efforts by the pastors have included meetings with Haitians in the United States ahead of the deployment due to begin later this month.
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Meetings with Gang Leaders in Haiti
Further, it was revealed that the meetings involved evangelical counterparts, U.S government officials and even Haiti’s most notorious gang leader, Jimmy Cherizier famously known as “Barbecue”.
The report disclosed that the Kenyan pastors held a Zoom call with Haitian gang leaders, including Barbecue while in the US.
Serge Musasilwa an evangelical pastor in Kenya who is involved in the initiatives while speaking to Reuters in an interview highlighted the belief that faith in God will be a crucial aspect in the mission.
“We believe that we are a tool that God will use to help,” said Serge Musasilwa.
Musasilwa who is a sociologist by training has worked on conflict resolution in his native Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and several other African countries according to the report.
Also Read: Mudavadi Clarifies Reports of 2000 Haitian Police Training in Kenya
He revealed that he led the conversation with the Haitian gang leaders, declining to go into details, but saying that the conversations left him with hope that the conflict could be resolved peacefully.
“This guy might be a devil, but there is something that we can build on,” Musasilwa added.
New Strategy
In their argument, the sociologist and another pastor, Julius Suubi, said they were convinced Haiti’s problems were primarily spiritual.
Other people involved in the initiative who were interviewed said that the relationships forged with Haitian communities will also contribute to the success of the mission.
According to them, the relationships will help the Kenyan-led multinational force avoid the mistakes of foreign interventions in the Carribean nation in recent decades.
“The more you’re connected to the population, the more you can format the kind of intervention you’re going to lead,” said Daniel Jean-Louis, the president of the Baptist Haiti Mission, which has worked with the Kenyan pastors.
However, Reuters noted that spokespeople for President Ruto and first lady Rachel Ruto did not respond to requests for comment for the report.
The publication further noted that it was unable to reach Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier for comment.
Ruto on Haiti Mission
This new development comes after President William Ruto affirmed Kenya’s commitment in deploying officers in the war-torn Carribean nation in late May 2024.
Ruto in a statement on May 31 said that he was confident in the fulfillment of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution’s mandate.
“In light of Kenya’s lead role in the UN Security Council mandated Multinational Security support Mission (MSS) to Haiti, I am confident of the fulfilment of the mandate of UNSC Resolution 2699 (2023),” read part of the statement.
The Head of state made the remarks after receiving a comprehensive brief from the team that undertook an assessment mission to ascertain the state of preparedness for the deployment of Kenyan officers.
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