Several Kenyan Police Opt Out of Haiti Deployment Mission.
Several Kenyan Police Opt Out of Haiti Deployment Mission: An undisclosed number of Kenyan police officers have opted out of the deployment mission following the agreement with Haiti to deploy 1000 officers to assist in the gang situation.
As reported by the BBC on March 7, the officers cited concerns about their safety amid ongoing gang raids in the Caribbean nation.
Numerous Kenyan police officers who had initially volunteered for the deployment have changed tune citing their safety.
In an interview with the broadcasting corporation, one officer highlighted the lack of clarity in regards to the mission’s execution plans.
Citing the recent rise in gang violence in Haiti, another officer stated that he and his squad withdrew from the mission, which was not a mandatory deployment.
He further added that the team was asked to apply for the mission voluntarily, to help restore peace in Haiti as part of their service to humanity.
The unrest in Haiti intensified on March 3, following assaults by a notorious gang leader, commonly known as Barbecue, on the nation’s primary airport. Barbecue vowed to obstruct Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s return to the country.
President William Ruto on March 1 gave a nod to the deployment, where the Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kithure Kindiki and Haiti’s security minister signed the agreement.
President William Ruto, defending his decision to deploy the troops to the disturbed country, noted that the two countries share the same origin.
Ruto said, “We are offering the experience and expertise of our police officers in the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti as mandated by the United Nations Security Council and as guided by our courts.”
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