Haiti has expressed its gratitude to Kenya for offering to lead a multinational peacekeeping force to help restore order and security in the Caribbean nation, which is facing a deep crisis on multiple fronts.
Haiti's Foreign Minister Jean Victor Geneus said in a statement on Sunday that he welcomed "with great interest" Kenya's proposal, which he described as an expression of "African solidarity".
"We have witnessed with much concern the worsening of the security situation due to the continuing criminal actions of gangs," Geneus said. "We welcome the declaration of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya. We greatly appreciate the support and solidarity of our brothers and sisters from Africa, the motherland. We stand ready to welcome and work with the assessment team from Kenya."
Kenya's Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua announced on Saturday that Nairobi was ready to spearhead a 1,000-strong multinational force made up of troops from various African and Latin American countries, with the approval of the United Nations and the Haitian authorities.
"Kenya stands with persons of African descent across the world, including those in the Caribbean, and aligns with the African Union’s diaspora policy and our own commitment to Pan Africanism, and in this case to 'reclaiming of the Atlantic crossing,'" Mutua said in a statement.
The Kenyan diplomat said the mission would not be a quick fix, but rather a long-term effort to stabilize the situation, train a professional Haitian police force, and support political and humanitarian progress in Haiti.
"At the request of the Friends of Haiti Group of Nations, Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a Multi-National Force to Haiti," Mutua said. "Kenya's commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police, restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations."
Haiti has been mired in turmoil since the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, in July 2021, which triggered a power struggle and a constitutional crisis.
The Caribbean island nation is also suffering from rampant gang violence, which has displaced thousands of people and sparked fuel shortages and humanitarian emergencies. Moreover, the country is still recovering from the devastating effects of a major earthquake that struck in 2021.
The Haitian government, led by acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry, has appealed to the global community via the United Nations for international assistance to cope with the security challenges and to hold free and fair elections. However, the international community has been divided over how to respond to the crisis, with some countries calling for sanctions and others for dialogue.