Haiti: Jamaica Announces Early Police Presence
A first detachment of 400 Kenyan troops arrived on 25 June, but the Caribbean nations that are closer to Haiti and committed to the security support mission have yet to disembark here, and the reasons for their delay are not yet known.
The Jamaican government today reiterated its commitment to send its law enforcement officers as soon as possible to Haiti, where they will assist the neighboring country’s national police in combating gangsters.
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Haitian police authorities met with a Jamaican delegation to finalize details of their deployment here, where armed groups control 80 per cent of the capital.
A second group of Kenyan militaries arrived in Haiti 48 hours ago to help the national police pacify the Caribbean country.
A first detachment of 400 Kenyan troops arrived on 25 June, but the Caribbean nations that are closer to Haiti and committed to the security support mission have yet to disembark here, and the reasons for their delay are not yet known.
The Kenyan men will be phased up to 1,000, although initially Nairobi was to send 2,600.
They are elite officers from the Kenya Police Rapid Deployment Unit, who underwent rigorous training, ensuring they were optimally prepared for the mission.
The deployment was approved by a UN Security Council resolution last October.
Other countries, in addition to Kenya, will travel to Haiti to join the large operation, including Benin, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Suriname and Chad.
This mission raises concerns among the Haitian population about respect for human rights, with some human rights organizations accusing the Kenyan police of excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings.