Prime Minister of Haiti Visits Kenya to Detail International Aid

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry met with Kenyan President William Ruto today to discuss details of the deployment of the UN-authorized international mission in Haiti.

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The mission in Haiti will be led by the African country with the aim of confronting gangs operating in the Caribbean country and returning public safety.

The President of Kenya said in X "Kenya partners with the people of Haiti for our common heritage. We are offering the experience and knowledge of our police officers in the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMAS) in Haiti, as mandated by the United Nations Security Council and guided by our courts".

The Kenyan mission in Haiti was made possible by negotiations on behalf of the Caribbean country at the UN headquarters, because in 2022, when the Haitian government asked for help to restore order, Nairobi refused to act on the basis of its policy of non-interference in other countries' affairs.

The UN Security Council authorized in October 2023 the dispatch of a support mission to the Haitian National Police, in response to the request made a year earlier by the Haitian Prime Minister to eradicate armed gangs.

But despite being approved the deployment was not until mid-February that a Haitian delegation held meetings in Washington with US and Kenyan authorities to plan the arrival of MMAS to the Caribbean island.

Another factor that hindered and delayed the mission is funding, which comes from countries such as the United States, Canada and France. However, aid from these countries has been very weak and scarce.

Although the leader of the mission will be Kenya, countries such as Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados will also contribute military forces.