- Kenya ready to lead multinational force to Haiti

Kenya’s foreign minister announced on Saturday that Kenya is prepared to lead a multinational force into Haiti, where violence between police and gangs has escalated. This surge in violence has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, displacing tens of thousands of people. In response to the situation, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently appealed to the Security Council and major potential contributors to take swift action in order to facilitate the deployment of a multinational force to Haiti. In a statement, Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua stated that Kenya has accepted the request from the Friends of Haiti Group of Nations to consider leading this force. Kenya’s commitment involves deploying 1,000 police officers to assist in training the Haitian police, restoring normalcy, and protecting strategic installations. The Haitian foreign ministry has not yet responded to this announcement. However, Mutua emphasized that the planned deployment is contingent upon obtaining a U.N. Security Council mandate and necessary authorizations from Kenya. He also mentioned that an Assessment Mission by a Task Team of the Kenya Police is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.