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Kenyan lawmakers voted on Thursday to support the deployment of hundreds of police officers to Haiti as part of a United Nations-approved mission aiming to assist the Caribbean nation in combating gang violence. The decision follows Kenya’s commitment in July to send 1,000 officers in response to Haiti’s international appeal for security assistance against gang-related violence.

The deployment plan, initially challenged in court by an opposition party over concerns about public participation and constitutional adherence, was halted in early October. The opposition argued that the plan lacked public involvement and was unconstitutional, asserting that only the military should be deployed overseas.

Gabriel Tongoyo, chairperson of the parliament’s Administration and Internal Security Committee, clarified that the deployment would last one year, with the United Nations covering the costs. The situation in Haiti, as assessed by the United Nations, includes escalating violence leading to the displacement of around 200,000 people and widespread human rights violations by armed gangs.