Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
Kenyan President William Ruto has arrived in the United States for talks ahead of Kenya’s plans to deploy a police force to Haiti.
Ruto’s agenda includes a meeting with President Biden at the White House, which US officials say will heavily focus on the United Nations-backed initiative to send a Kenya-led police force to Haiti. President Ruto is also expected to push President Biden to provide US funds to help pay for the security operations in Haiti.
Approved by the UN Security Council last year, the multinational support mission aims to restore security in Haiti, plagued by gang violence and instability. However, recent deadly attacks by Haitian armed groups have delayed the mission’s deployment. Kenyan officials now say that the mission is imminent, following the reopening of Port-au-Prince’s main airport and ongoing political transitions in Haiti.
Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s principal secretary of foreign affairs, confirmed the imminent deployment, stating, “I can tell you for sure that that deployment will happen in the next few days, few weeks.“ The deployment will include 1,000 Kenyan police officers, part of a larger force totaling about 2,500 members.