Kenyan police officers set to be deployed to Haiti for a peacekeeping mission to tame gang violence in the country have been recalled from leave in preparation for leaving for the country.
A report by the New York Times revealed that the officers were called back from leave ahead of the planned deployment months after finishing their training.
Kenyan officers who are part of the deployment while speaking to the press shared details about the training received in preparation for leaving for Haiti.
According to interviews with several police officers they revealed that they have not been given a precise date but anticipated that they would arrive in Haiti later this month.
This came following the building of a base in Haiti’s main airport by the United States, which is largely financing the plan.
The cops detailed that hundreds of officers turned out for the selection process in October 2023.
According to the revelations, some 400 officers were selected for the first deployment and began training.
Also Read: Haiti Mission: U.S Starts Constructing Base for Kenyan Officers
An additional 100-member support staff that includes medics followed while another similarly sized group would also prepare to deploy soon, according to the officers.
Details of Haiti Mission
The officers were chosen from the Administration Police (AP) and the General Service Unit (GSU).
In a bid to boost preparedness, the officers said they received physical and weaponry training from both Kenyan and American security personnel.
Additionally, the officers took French classes and lessons on human rights and Haiti’s history and were given details about how Haitian gangs operate.
They also revealed that they were aware of previous failed international interventions in Haiti but argued that those interventions had been largely viewed by Haitians as occupation forces.
Also Read: From Police Officer to Gangster: Story of Haiti Gang Leader Barbecue
According to them, their main goal is to support the local police and protect civilians and not acting as occupation forces.
The officers further confessed that besides the prestige that comes with serving abroad, the additional pay that comes with their service was another motivation.
These revelations came ahead of a planned deployment which is expected later this month.
The international mission is expected to consist of 1,000 Kenyan police officers who will lead a total multinational force of 2,500 members.
Kenya-led Mission
With Kenya making a huge part of the force, the rest of the deployment will come from more than half a dozen nations that have pledged to provide additional personnel.
They include Barbados, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Chad, Benin, and Bangladesh.
In preparation for the arrival of the multinational force in Haiti, the United States has stepped up efforts on the ground with the main move being the building of a base of operations at Port-Au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport.
The US built the base after President William Ruto announced that Kenya was ready to rapidly execute security support in Haiti.
Ruto in a statement on April 25, 2024, made the announcement following the swearing in of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) in the troubled nation.
The deployment of the multinational security force led by Kenyan police had been suspended until a transition council took power in Haiti.
According to the Head of State, the swearing in of the TPC had addressed the delayed deployment and Kenya in coordination with the US was discussing on how to proceed.
However, Haitian gang leaders led by Jimmy Cherizier “Barbecue” have vowed to fight the deployment.
Gng violence in the Carribean nation has left thousands of people have dead and more than 350,000 displaced in the past year.
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