The US is the principal financial backer of a Kenya-led international security force the United Nations has ratified be sent to Haiti to help its police battle armed gangs that have plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis.
Haiti’s former government first requested the force in 2022 and the first deployment of Kenyan police arrived this week, though it is unclear when the rest of the force – expected to number over 2,500 – is set to arrive.
As armed khaki-clad Kenyan police in bullet-proof jackets and helmets patrolled the city in black armoured vans, Port-au-Prince residents said they hoped the force could stop the indiscriminate killings and allow business to restart.
“We need peace. If the Kenyan police forces are here, it’s so we can return to the lives we used to have. We hope they’ve come to work seriously,” said resident Kloud Dine.
“We need the Kenyans here a while here because the gang members make us suffer too much,” added Louise Baret, a painter. “Enough is enough”.
