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.

Kenya has increased its contribution to the United Nations-backed mission in Haiti by deploying an additional 200 police officers. This move brings the total number of Kenyan officers in the violence-stricken nation to 400.

The mission to stabilize Haiti comes in response to the takeover of large swaths of land in the country’s capital by multiple gangs. Various countries, including the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Chad, and Jamaica, plan to deploy 2,500 police and soldiers in phases. Although a UN Security Council resolution approved the mission in October, its deployment was delayed due to a Kenyan court ruling it unconstitutional in January.

Conditions in Haiti:
The situation in Haiti has deteriorated since armed groups launched coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince in February, targeting then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Gang violence has severely affected food security and access to humanitarian aid, with gangs accused of committing atrocities such as murder, rape, looting, and kidnappings.

International Support & Criticism:
The United States has provided financial and logistical support for the mission but has ruled out sending American troops. Earlier this year. President Biden vowed that “there will be no US boots on the ground in Haiti,” arguing that it would look optically wrong.

Despite support from the United States and having the United Nations blessing, the mission has attracted criticism, particularly from Human Rights Watch, which has voiced concerns about the mission’s funding and the Kenyan police’s history of alleged abuses, including extrajudicial killings.