The first batch of 400 troops arrived Tuesday in Haiti Tuesday, with a total of 1,000 expected to eventually deploy in the mission.
Troops will have to battle heavily armed gangs that have taken most of Haiti’s capitol, Port-au-Prince, and ousted its government from power in a February sweep that saw criminal leaders band together.
Haiti has since plunged into a worsening humanitarian crisis on par with the 2010 earthquake that rocked the island nation.
The U.S. is providing more than $300 million for the United Nations-backed mission along with $60 million for equipment.
President Biden, who hosted Kenyan President William Ruto in May at the White House, said “the people of Haiti deserve to feel safe in their homes” and rebuild their lives.
“While these goals may not be accomplished overnight, this mission provides the best chance of achieving them,” he said in a statement announcing the deployment.
Nearly 5 million Haitians face severe food insecurity, while thousands have been killed or wounded in gang violence, and half a million have been displaced, according to Biden.
The multinational police force is made up of more than a dozen countries, including Jamaica, The Bahamas and Spain.
The Kenyan mission has been delayed and snagged up in legal battles, but Ruto expressed confidence in the mission.
“Kenya has solid credentials in peace-making and conflict resolution globally,” he wrote on social media platform X after hosting a briefing with police troops.
“Our police officers’ presence in Haiti will give relief to the men, women and children whose lives have been broken by gang violence.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a briefing Tuesday that the U.S. has vetted the Kenyan personnel for the mission.
“It is important that the human rights of the Haitian people be respected as this mission to restore law and order is carried out,” Miller said.
Gang violence has dominated Haiti since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. After the February surge, gangs forced the resignation of the Haitian prime minister, Ariel Henry, but a transitional council has since been formed to appoint a new governmental body once peace is restored.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
