UN-backed Kenyan police enter Haiti, get ready to take down gangs

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Preliminary UN-backed international police force arrived in Haiti on Tuesday, nearly two years closer to the crisis-hit Caribbean country sought immediate assistance to quell Increase in gang violence.

Two hundred policemen from Kenya landed in the capital of Port-au-Prince, whose main international airport reopened in late May. Gang violence put pressure on it for almost 3 months,

It was not immediately understood what the first project of the Kenyans might be, but whatever they are going to Confronts violent gangs that control 80% of Haiti’s capital and feature is more than left 580,000 communities homeless across the country As they are plundering neighborhoods in their quest to control additional territory. Gangs have also killed several thousand people in recent times.

Marks the arrival of the Kenyan people Fourth primary international military intervention in Haiti, Every year some Haitians welcome them, others view the force with wariness, as a prior intervention – the UN’s 2004-2017 peacekeeping project – once went awry. sexual harassment allegation and arrival of Cholera, which killed approximately 10,000 people in the community,

Romain Le Cour, senior expert at the World Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, advised global public and government officials to share key points, including the enterprise’s rules of engagement and concept of operation.

“What’s going to happen with the gangs,” he said. “Is this a stable mission? Is this a dynamic mission? All those details are still missing, and I think it’s time for there to be real transparency.”

Just hours after the Kenyans landed, top minister Gary Conyele thanked the East African nation for its solidarity, noting that gangs had vandalized homes and hospitals and set fire to libraries, leading to Haiti “has become unliveable.”

“The country is going through a very difficult time,” he told a news conference. “Enough is enough. … We are going to slowly start working to retake the country.”

Conill said the Kenyans would be deployed over the next few days, but did not give details. He was accompanied by Monica Juma, Kenya’s former international affairs minister, who now serves as National Security Adviser to President William Ruto. He said Kenyans would “serve as agents of peace, stability and hope.”

“We are united in our commitment to support Haiti’s National Police to restore public order and security,” he said. “Our hope is that this will not become a permanent mission.”

The deployment has happened only after about four months Gangs launch coordinated attacks, focused on Haiti’s capital and major government infrastructure in the past. They took over two police stations, opened fire at the major world airport and attacked Haiti’s two largest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 prisoners.

“We have been asking for protection for a long time,” said Orgeline Bousicot, a 47-year-old mother of two who sells carrots and charcoal as a wholesale distributor.

Gang violence has affected his sales, and he tries to get out as much as possible before sunset to recoup the losses despite his fear.

“You never know who is waiting for you around the corner,” he said, adding that he looked forward to Kenyan police joining forces with local government.

Critics say the mob attacks that began on 29 February could have been avoided if international forces had been deployed more quickly, although some failures – including A criminal case was filed in Kenya and political turmoil in Haiti – delaying it from schedule.

attacks averted then top minister ariel haeni, who went from going back to Haiti on a date to insisting on a deployment to Kenya. He resigned last April due to increasing violence. Later, a Nine-member Transitional Presidential Council Selected former UN chief Conille as High Minister and appointed an untouched cabinet in mid-June.

Nonetheless, mob violence continues, and experts say it will continue unless the government also takes into account the socio-economic factors that contribute to it in a country with extremely poor and extremely understaffed and under-resourced police sectors. Promote gang life.

Le Cour said it was difficult to predict the gangs’ reaction to the venture. “Some of them can fight. “Some of them may want to talk and start negotiations with the Haitian government,” he said.

In a contemporary video, Jimmy Cherizier, a former elite police officer Who now leads a formidable gang consortium called G9 Community and AlliesAddressed to the virgin prime minister for the first date.

“Don’t play into the hands of traditional politicians and businessmen who use violence for political and economic purposes,” said Charizard, better known as Barbecue. “The problems that exist today can be solved only through dialogue.”

Asked about the response to the barbecue Tuesday, Connell replied with his personal message: “Put the guns down and recognize state’s authority, and then we’ll see where we go from there.”

UN Security Council grants Kenya supremacy license in multinational policing enterprise In October 2023, Nearest Henry asked for urgent help for the first time.

President Joe Biden praised the arrival of the primary contingent, saying the total venture would “bring much-needed relief.”

“The people of Haiti deserve to feel safe in their homes, build better lives for their families, and enjoy democratic freedoms,” he said. “Although these goals cannot be accomplished overnight, this mission offers the best chance to achieve them.”

Rights groups and others have raised concerns about the quality of Kenyan police, citing allegations of abuses and extrajudicial killings against officers. on Tuesday, Police again accused of firing In Kenya’s capital Nairobi, where thousands of protesters stormed the Parliament.

Kenyan police in Haiti will be joined by police from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Jamaica, for a total of 2,500 officers. According to the UN Security Council, they will be deployed in tiers at a cost of about $600 million per year.

At this point, the United Nations-administered charity for the venture has won the best of $18 million in contributions from Canada, France, and the United States. In addition, America has promised a total assistance of $300 million.

“Gang violence appears to have declined from its peak earlier this year, but the security situation in the country remains critical,” the UN Security Council said in a June 21 commentary.

More than 2,500 civilians were killed or injured in the first three months of this year, an increase of more than 50% compared with the same period last year.

Many Haitians are living with worry, including Janet Oville, a 54-year-old mother of two university-age boys. She sells plants like bananas and green chillies, and has been robbed several times by gangs when she travels in society buses with her goods. She said, she hides the cash in her armpit or under her underwear for the purpose of keeping it safe.

“I need security. I need to work. I want the roads to open so I can feed my family,” she said. “Becoming a female entrepreneur in Haiti is never easy. There is a lot of risk. But we take risks to make sure our families are well.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 1.6 million Haitians are on the brink of starvation, the highest number recorded since the devastating 2010 earthquake.

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Cotto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.