Kenyan police officers joined their Haitian counterparts on patrol in the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Wednesday, July 17. Authorities have not disclosed details of the officers’ assignments due to security concerns.
The Associated Press reported that the officers were seen patrolling areas near the main international airport, which reopened in May after a surge in gang violence had forced its closure for nearly three months. As of Tuesday, July 16, 400 Kenyan officers have been deployed in the violence-stricken capital. A total of 1,000 Kenyan officers are expected to be stationed in Haiti.
The mandate of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS) is “to support the efforts of the Haitian National Police to re-establish security in Haiti and build security conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections.”
While the United Nations supports the mission, it does not manage it. A spokesperson for the UN stated in late April that $18 million had been deposited in the trust fund established for this purpose. The main contributors to the fund are Canada, France, and the United States. These countries finance and support the mission but will not be sending troops.
