Despite legal difficulties that caused a delay in the mission, Kenyan police will likely deploy within weeks to combat gang violence in Haiti, according to President William Ruto of the east African nation on Sunday.
Kenya hopes to take the lead in a UN-backed operation to stabilize the violent, impoverished, and politically unstable Caribbean nation.
One thousand officers from the east African nation will join personnel from seven other nations on the operation.
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“The people of Haiti are maybe waiting, by the grace of God, that probably by next week or the other week, we shall send our police officers to restore peace,” Ruto stated in a speech on Sunday while on a tour of central Kenya.
A UN Security Council resolution in October last year approved the mission but a Kenyan court in January delayed the deployment. It said the government did not have the authority to send police officers abroad without a prior agreement.
That agreement was reached on March 1 by the government, and Ruto stated to the BBC last month that he anticipated sending a Kenyan force to Haiti in a matter of weeks.
However, in an attempt to stop it, a tiny opposition group in Kenya filed a new case. On June 12, Kenya’s High Court is scheduled to hear that case.
Apart from Kenya, Benin, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, and Chad have also shown an interest in participating in the mission.
Human Rights Watch, a global watchdog, has expressed concerns about the objectives and financing sources.
Human rights organizations have charged Kenyan police with abusing their power and executing people without a warrant.
