Fight against gangs: Kenya wants to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti ‘Quiet’ trial: assistant director testifies in tears

In view of the escalating gang violence in Haiti, the Kenyan government wants to send a thousand police officers to the Caribbean country. After months of negotiations and legal wrangling, representatives of both countries signed a corresponding agreement on Friday.

“This is a mission of humanity, a mission of solidarity,” Kenyan President William Ruto said in Nairobi. Haitian interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry thanked the Kenyan government for sending the police. “This effort will bring hope for the future,” he said.

According to UN estimates, brutal gangs control about 80 percent of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and are increasingly expanding their area of ​​influence into other parts of the country. The violence worsens the precarious supply situation; According to the United Nations, nearly half of Haiti’s 11 million people are hungry.

Last October, at the request of the Haitian government, the UN Security Council approved an international police operation in the Caribbean country to combat gang violence. Kenya agreed to take the lead and provide about 1,000 of the 3,000 planned aid workers. However, its use was recently halted by a court in Kenya.

Without the East African country’s participation, the completion of the mission would have been doubtful. Kenyan head of state Ruto now called on other countries to participate in the international police operation. “We are ready and I call on our partners around the world to do their part,” he said. “We owe this to the children in Haiti who do not live in peace and to the women in Haiti who experience violence.” (sda/dpa)