KENYA is ready to lead a multinational force in Haiti and will deploy 1,000 police officers to the strife-torn Caribbean nation once its offer is accepted, the foreign minister said yesterday.

Gangs control around 80% of the Haitian capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery and carjackings are common.

“Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a multinational force to Haiti. Kenya’s commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1,000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police restore normalcy in the country and protect strategic installations,” Alfred Mutua said in a statement.

Its “proposed deployment” still required a mandate from the UN Security Council and approval from domestic authorities, he said.

“An assessment mission by a task team of the Kenya police is scheduled within the next few weeks. This assessment will inform and guide the mandate and operational requirements of the mission.”

No other details was immediately available.

With Haitian security forces overwhelmed, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry have called for an international intervention to help support the police.

Ahead of the Kenyan announcement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said uesterdau progress was being made toward establishing a multinational peacekeeping force for Haiti.

“My expectation is that we will have some progress to report on that very soon,” he said.

Kenya has deployed its forces abroad for peacekeeping in the past, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. – AFP, July 30, 2023.